


Monster under the bed

by Susimau



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Abstract, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Because it's ATEEZ people, Bits of horror I guess, Blood and Injury, Childhood fears!ATEEZ, Clown in the sewer!Yunho, Cutest Boy!San, Don't Read This At Night, Fluff and Crack, Green Sweater!Yeosang, Headless man!Jongho, Human!Wooyoung, It Gets Better, Light monster!Hongjoong, M/M, Mentioned Other K-pop Artist(s), Minor Character Death, Monster under the bed!San, Sea monster!Mingi, Shiber the real MVP, Somebody gets hurt pretty badly but all of ateez will make it, Strangers to Lovers, Wooyoung is stressed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:27:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 36,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22000168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Susimau/pseuds/Susimau
Summary: Weren't we all scared of the monster under the bed when we were kids?Wooyoung feared it just like everyone else did.But what are supposed to be childish anxieties, false fantasies and adorable fears turned out to be much more real to him than he had expected.
Relationships: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 226
Kudos: 366





	1. Prologue

It had been almost exactly four years since Wooyoung had left home. Four years in which he had studied and worked diligently, four years that were not supposed to feel that long, although they were.

It had been almost exactly six years since Wooyoung had last paid a visit to his grandparents' house. The house in which he had, in a sense, spent his entire childhood, where he had gotten to learn tears and laughter, pain and joy.

Wooyoung was 20 years old.

The funeral of his grandparents had been lonely. His parents as always too busy to join and the number of their friends still alive was small. The weather had been too bright and clear for a day of such sadness. It did not fit.

It came to no surprise that they had left him their home, their warm and cozy house with all the old memories.

The decision was not a difficult one. Escaping from the stress of work and take a holiday in his grandparents' secluded home came to Wooyoung like soothing water on a hot day.

After all, it never hurts to lose oneself in old memories and melancholy, does it not?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Twitter @Susimau_s  
> This is also on Wattpad in German by the way! Find it there under the same user name~


	2. Coming Home

It was bordering creepy how nothing had changed at all. The three oblong steps up to the veranda, painted in a flaking white led up to the old wooden door with the pale golden brass knob, as usual. The old façade of the pale estate was largely overgrown with hungry ivy, seemingly at one with the plants. The pointed roofs above smaller towers were greyish from moss and weather, the smoke in the chimney had long since died out.

A hazy mist always seemed to suffuse the property like a protective cloak, making it seem almost ghostly and unreal in the autumnal forest, as if there was no modern garage at all with the musty car that worked perfectly fine despite its old age. Leaves covered the footpath up to the door undisturbedly, a brownish carpet of decay similar to the creaking house with its rotten shutters.

Wooyoung hadn't felt so out of place in a long time. Or so at home.

He walked down the brown carpet nature had offered to him, the squeaking wheels of his heavy suitcase covered in wet leaves. The mist sat damply on his shimmering purple hair and shivering from the cool breeze he jumped up the few steps of the veranda and let his eyes wander for a long moment. To his left was his grandfather's antique rocking chair, the wood greying with time and the cushion that had been sat through wet from the rain and unrecognizably discolored.

On the right were flower boxes, once filled with beautiful flowers in all colours of a rainbow, now dull and empty. It was home. Or at least a very dusty version of it.

A familiar key with a faded tag of his name slipped with ease into its matching lock and the door clicked open to reveal the inside of the house. He was now in a circular entrance hall and immediately to his right an open staircase wound majestically along the wall through the room up to the upper floor. Through the glass of a round dome rood light fell in a circle on the colourful marble tiles below him. Straight ahead the room led to a long extinguished fireplace next to a comfortable seating area, both now dusty and cold. To the left was the small, cosy kitchen with all the little lights in preserving jars, bundles of herbs and pressed flowers that his grandmother had loved so much. Homesickness seized Wooyoung's heart, even though he was finally home.

His fingers were unsteady as he left the suitcase behind to slowly walk up the stairs, feeling and experiencing his hands gently gliding over the chilly flower wallpaper. His nose was irritated by the dust and the familiar smell of old books but his eyes unbotheredly picked up the lamps hanging like raindrops under the dome as if they were new to him. In the narrow corridor leading to the rooms were still old pictures, photographs and paintings, all framed and arranged in loving detail. Of his great-grandparents, their children, his parents and also him. Supposedly strict portraits that carried a laughing boy inside, the kind faces of his grandparents so very gentle.

His fingertips passed the round corners of their ornate frames barely perceptibly, feeling the familiar wood as he passed his grandparents' room, the study and finally his own room at the end of the corridor. A long breath passed in the gloomy hall with only one window at it's very far end and the dust whirled in the dim light when he finally opened the door to his own room.

Everything was as usual.

The white curtains, behind which there was just a tree, throwing shade no matter the season. He took in his massive bed placed in the left corner of the ochre-coloured room, it's white wood finely decorated although always made for one person only and pushed into a corner in some childish fashion. It was framed on the back and also head side by heavy wood. There were the blue duvet covers he had loved so much as a child. He remembered how they had once turned the bed around so that he was surrounded by walls on all four sides, and it had been so adventurous - his own castle - that he himself could neither enter nor leave by himself with his short legs.

There was also the old desk to the right under the window, not in the least matching the white bed, but he had preferred brown at that random time and the names of old crushes were still carved into the empty tabletop, forgotten faces under his fingertips.

Behind the door: the simple vanity table with a stained mirror and spider webs in the corners and there was also a little bedside table at the foot of the bed. It was his whole life, this little room.

The emotions were incomprehensible, a deep melancholy and such sweet memories during the pain of loss. Home in the face of an empty outland.

For a long time he stood by the window with his eyes empty and looked out over the trees. It had already become considerably darker when he finally set out to carry his unwilling suitcase up to his room, starting his work. First of all the electricity had to be switched on and the house cleaned. It would take a while, but he could do it.

His cell phone showed one small bar of reception, everything as usual and he sent a message to a worried Jackson, reporting that he had arrived safely, but could not bring himself yet to making a phone call.

The junction box has always been in the basement.

It was a small, lucid basement with only one room with a washing machine and some garden tools but the child Wooyoung had always been afraid of it. In the room-length rack with several pairs of rubber boots, gardening gloves and the like there was still this one green sweater. It was an old, ugly fabric full of little holes that gushed out of the gaps between buckets of paint like a hungry monster - in the adventurous eyes of a little child.

There were no windows so Wooyoung felt his way through sticky cobwebs with the faint light of his cell phone instead and then exhaled loudly when the electricity went on again. With a flicker he was illuminated by the cold light of a single naked light bulb and went to check the washing machine.

Everything worked alright at first sight and a strange déjà-vu overcame him as he turned off the light behind him again to go back up the creaking stairs. The inexplicable fear of the lurking darkness in his back. As a child he had never run faster than when he had to get out of there. Now he he was pondering over fallen jars of apricot jam on these stairs, which he just shuffled slowly up.

The entrance hall was by now bathed in a soft light and the sky outside was already dark. Wooyoung collected some old wood from the basket by the stove setting up the open fire with it. The warmth had something secure, would cheer him up while he was busy here. His thoughts already circled around a loud sound system, around the big dance floor that the round entrance hall had always offered to him and about putting chocolate ice cream in the fridge.

He found everything he needed to clean up in the small pantry behind the kitchen and the soft beats of his favourite pop songs filled his ears insignificantly as he was humming on his way through the house, starting at the kitchen to do a central cleaning.

This house needed a new wind, more life.

Just how when he was a little boy he danced over the marble tiles, which had already gifted him with more painful bruises him more than he could count. He was crawling up the stairs on his knees as if he was in another one of his month-long phases of 'I'm a wild tiger, fear me'! He found small niches everywhere where he had played hide and seek, traces still faintly visible on the walls when his playing had become too rough. Memories wherever he looked and he greeted them with a smile.

It was far into the night until he had finally finished the kitchen, hall, bathroom and his room. The other rooms would have to wait and the cellar... it was a cellar because it was not being cleaned, right?

Wooyoung was lonely. He was already longing for someone to joke with, someone to talk to and because Jackson had been asleep for a long time, he just quietly recorded an audio message, finally telling his best friend about his emotional return and the state of the house. It seemed too big for him alone and he thought about getting a dog if he would be staying here for longer.

Meanwhile his luggage was being put away, clothes sorted in the dresser, shower things brought in the bathroom and his most important belongings stowed away in the bedside table. He moved the empty suitcase under the bed under which he had previously found an old plush doll of his. It was Shiber, his Shiba Inu and greatest treasure, which he had not been able to find when he had moved out. Months of bitter tears had the sole reason nobody having searched down there. Wooyoung had missed Shiber a lot and decided to wash him the very next day to cuddle again.

The house was soon ventilated by the nightly air and the bed was freshly made, yet Wooyoung checked all the doors once more, locking the important ones securely before going to bed.

From his seat he had a direct view on the chest of drawers on which his little reading lamp also stood, now with Shiber at its side. In the opposite corner, leaning against the mirror, sat his old doll. A wooden puppet with unlubricated joints, his favourite toy as a child though it had frightened him at night at times. Yet he had never had the heart to throw it out or take it from its ancestral place. After all he certainly did not want to hurt its feelings. No child should appreciate one toy less than another, not in Wooyoung's eyes.

With a gentle laugh he told Jackson about that too, pondering his memories until he fell asleep, the dreams of his childhood coming to him like a protective blanket.


	3. Progress

The house was ten minutes away from the village centre by car. On foot it was about two hours. Aside his house there was only one more remote estate out here, situated on the other side of the small lake, three-quarters of an hour's walk. Wooyoung remembered spending every spare minute playing by that lake in the summer and watching the mysterious homeowner on the other side of the shiny surface. It was a young man who loved this solitude but who had also gotten along splendidly with his grandparents. In Wooyoung's memory he also has had a dog, a little golden brown poodle.

After waking up early the next morning and using Shiber as a test object for the washing machine he left the soft toy on the back of his chair to dry and went for a walk.

The lake was hidden in the woods, barely ten minutes from the house, and he had spent endless hours there, playing, building and resting when he needed some distance. The old sorb under which he had found his favourite personal place still rose near the hazy surface of the water. Wooyoung paused for a moment, nostalgically looking out over the sea, forest and the dark house in the distance.

He could swing by.

With his hands deep in the pockets of his black coat and his face lowered he wandered through the wet grass hanging on to his own thoughts about work, life and the future. Half an hour seemed to pass differently out here and before he knew it he was already standing in front of the small estate, climbing leisurely up steps similar to his own.

The gentle sound of a bell echoed through the house as it rang, Wooyoung pondering for a moment whether his only neighbour was up so early.

But in fact lumbering footsteps could be heard and the very next moment the door was open, showing the skinny man. His hair fell in dark curls into his forehead and in front of his eyes, making his empty face look all the darker. He wore black as everybody was used to and in his left hand rested an old book, still open and asking for attention.

Full lips parted as they watched each other for a long moment, and when he spoke his voice was deeper than the lake by her side.

"Wooyoung. You're here again?"

Against his will the younger one had to smile and the book closed softly as he embarrassedly scraped his foot across the porch. But then joy prevailed and a beaming smile spread across Wooyoung's face.

"You recognised me so easily? Wow!"

The other one replied timidly, leaning with one shoulder in the doorway to cross hia bare feet. He did not even seem to shiver.

"How could I forget you? After all those hours listening to your laughter and wondering what kind of dolphin had strayed into our lake?"

By now Wooyoung laughed excatly that high and merry laugh smiling openly at the other man again.

"I'm happy to see you again, Yongguk. I will be house-sitting for a while so please bear with my laughter."

Yongguk slowly returned the gesture of smiling again, just nodding.

"Sure. You're always welcome here so drop by for tea when you have time. You seem to have had quite an experience." Dark eyes glided over colorful hair and Wooyoung agreed happily then said goodbye again so as not to disturb for too long.

Yongguk was about ten years older than him. In the past he had often spent his vacations with his family in this house but he soon lived there alone, finding peace in the seclusion. While it seemed perfect to him, Wooyoung found it too lonely, too far away from laughter and people to be happy. Still he left the other being cheered up and ready for the day.

Today the supplies had to be restocked. He needed food and the like that would not materialize in his house by itself. A thicker coat would also be an idea. Shivering he got into the old car and needed a moment to get used to it and to remember how to change gears.

The village was small and manageable, Aunt Emma shops next to small bakeries and a single butcher. Not even a supermarket was in sight but it was the custom.

To Wooyoung's surprise he was recognized at every corner. There was little Mrs. Kim in her bakery, laughing as she packed him two pretzels that he had not ordered. Then the daughter of Mrs. Ok who had taken over her mother's grocery store. He had gone to school together with her son and had been close friends. Wooyoung spent his time catching up with old friends a lot and informed himself about the few changes in the unproblematic village.

They were all happy to see him and wished him good luck with the house, spoke well of his thoughts about getting a real dog. They also inquired about Yongguk, the gentle artist also being popular in the village though very shy.

The sun was already starting to descend from the sky again when he had finally gotten everything together and said goodbye to all the people who had approached him on the street. He slowly drove back again, enjoying the colours of the falling leaves around him and everything so familiar as if he had never been away, would still be driving down this road every day.

It was a lot to carry and he walked back and forth four times until he had finally brought all the purchases and gifts to his house. Adter that first of all he turned on his music again to fill the silence.

He cooked for a while then ate alone with funny YouTube videos on his cell phone. While he finished cleaning the house afterwards he was on the phone with an ecstatic Jackson who was already planning his first visit and asked a thousand and one questions about the people in the city.

Shiber had fallen off his chair and slipped under the bed when he returned to his room and he picked him up again from there this time putting him on the table. The conversation with Jackson continued as he dusted off his grandparents' room, went to hang his warmer jacket on the door and carelessly placed the thinner one over the back of the chair.

Jackson was still chattering about her friends back home, about Yugyeom the dork who had messed with Mark and how Youngjae had once again needlessly feared failing his exams just to pass all of them with ease. It sounded familiar and at some point Wooyoung laid sleepily in bed and could hardly keep his eyes open, so much so that even Jackson's rough voice lulled him.

The mobile phone display was soon the only light in the room and Wooyoung made the artistic statement that his chair with all the clothes on it almost looked like a human being in the darkness, only without a head.

Jackson's laughter was one of his last memories before he fell asleep.

-

Wooyoung had dreamt of the lake. About a warm afternoon with his grandparents and brother on the beach, how the two boys loved to scare the other by touching each other's feet in the warm water and making them scream. Yongguk had truly heard a lot over the years.

In the summer the lake was clear and one could see all the way to the bottom - which of course never took away the fear of being touched by something slippery at the foot - and if they did not swim in winter, stones were being bounced over the water surface.

They were warm memories full of laughter and Wooyoung suddenly missed his brother who was just completing his military service, sincerely hoping to hear from him soon.

With the morning also came new work. The veranda had to be scrubbed and the creaky wood checked.

It promised to be another long day and with a sigh Wooyoung grabbed his sweater from the otherwise empty table and hurried down the stairs. As usual verything would be better with music. And right after that he would start asking around for an animal shelter or dog breeders.

He might consider getting a real Shiber.


	4. Paranoia

It began with little things that gradually grew more through the weeks.

In the beginning he could attribute them to his tiredness and tendency to misplace his things but with more time it also became more and more worrying. More disturbing and... way too real.

What were his headphones doing in the bathroom?

How did the puppet end up in the refrigerator?

Why was Shiber constantly missing only to reappear again and again under the bed?

With each passing day the cases became more scurrilous and Wooyoung nervously began to remember exactly how things were before he fell asleep only to be paralysed with fear in bed the next morning with his heart pounding wildly when something had changed again over night. He was terrified.

Of course he was used to it, it was completely normal that things would disappear overnight especially if you had a noisy brother and a worried grandmother. However, the thought of it was all the more concerning when you knew you were alone in a house. Or rather thought to know.

Wooyoung was flexible, he blamed sleepwalking at first. Who knew, perhaps he had started it recently after he came back?

As unlikely as it seemed he was also rather quick to suspect an animal. But what kind of animal would deliberately steal the same objects over and over again only to scatter them somewhere in the house? It did not make sense.

To get to the bottom of the matter Wooyoung took a night to stay alert. He sat on the edge of the bed for hours with his eyes wide open while his legs dangled in front of the cold nothingness underneath him. The gap between the floor and the bed had seldomly been as uncomfortably large as it was that night.

This time nothing changed. The doll remained on the dresser and Shiber at his side. The night passed uneventful and so did the next.

It got creepier again when he came down the stairs in the morning. The shadows lurked behind his tired limbs as if they were just waiting to pounce on him. The tiredness made him see things.

Over time it made him more and more restless and jumpy, his movements hectic and actions unfocused. A constant fear of the shadows became his daily companion.

Jackson wrote it off as the wind howling too loudly, the noises making him feel paranoid alone in the big house and scaring him more than necessary. He was sure that Wooyoung just needed company and was not allowed to let it bother him any more.

Wooyoung was absolutely convinced that he had his reasons though.

Wooyoung had spent about 10 years of his life here in the past and had been back for almost three weeks, but it had never ever happened to him that he was being approached from inside the refrigerator.

To embellish the fine details in his head: it was Wednesday evening and once again a second night in a row that he had not slept a wink. Wooyoung had trudged through the dark kitchen with white fluffy socks on his feet, went straight to the fridge to get some good old juice.

The door had opened with the usual slight resistance and he had just raised his hand to reach for the inconspicuous bottle of orange liquid when it hit him.

"Seonghwa, how many times have I told you that he-"

It fell silent again as quickly as it had come and Wooyoung just blinked out of big eyes at the little male sitting next to his juice bottle in the fridge door. He looked no less shocked, eyes and mouth wide open and a tiny pencil fell out of his hand and onto the carton of cream he had misused as a desk.

"Sorry," automatically came over Wooyoung's lips and he slammed the door shut hard enough to shake half of the kitchen counter, standing lostly in the room for a moment. Breathed. Blinked. Shook his head to get rid of any strange thoughts.

Some dwarf in his doorway? Wooyoung snorted disparagingly. Give him a break.

The next time when he opened the door much more carefully and pulled it open unnecessarily gently there was no little figurine in a striped sweater in his fridge. Of course there was none.

He must have gone crazy.

A deep sigh passed his lips as Wooyoung reached out shaky fingers at the bottle and took it, quickly escaping from the uncomfortably dark room before the shadows could reach out for him.

He knew it was time to sleep and yet he was paranoid enough to tell himself to stay up another night, just to check on everything. His brain did not get any rest under these circumstances anyway so he made his decision.

And what does one do at night to keep themselves busy? Wooyoung washed his clothes.

With the whole house brightly lit and too blinding for his sleepy eyes he wandered down to the basement, past the strange green sweater, the rubber boots and the junction box.

The laundry was hardly even in the machine then he was already bolting, hitting the light switch with more force than necessary to escape from the darkness as if he were a child again. Of course he knew that he had only been hearing his own breathing and footsteps but one's brain told them the most incredible things when one was tired.

On the way upstairs he almost fell down twice and he did not want to spend this night with the doll and Shiber and the creepy chair which was now freshly burned into his memory again as a dead person no matter how you turned it.

So instead he went to his grandparents' room together with his juice. Everything was peaceful and untouched, nothing creepy or distorted to tired his eyes in this room.

With a deep sigh he sank back against the bed and he was not yet lying down, he was just sitting but he was out like a light right away.

-

The next morning Wooyoung woke up early, freshly rested and happy with the world, snuggling up closer to Shiber.

Ah, no. Shiber was in the other room. Next to his pillow.

Sighing he sat up and tiredly shook the wild hair into his forehead. After a minute of yawning he went off to find something fresher to wear and then searched the fridge for his juice which he must have cleaned up after all. Like so often.

He passed the camomile-scented laundry hung up in the hallway, nodded contentedly at the work that even a dead tired Wooyoung could still do and then cluelessly entered his room.

It was always dark outside at this time of year anyway and the tree in front of the window did not help much with that problem either. One basically needed light if they were looking for something in the closet or did not want to hurt themselves while reading.

So why was it light in the room? Without the lamp burning on the ceiling or somewhere else?

The mysterious source of light actually came from under his bed, such an inconspicuous bed, and yet it shone out from under it as if a magic portal led from there directly down to hell.

The minutes pass torturously while Wooyoung was unable to move and stood in the door with an empty mind, not quite managing to escape yet. It could be so banal, just a fallen lamp and still the fear paralyzed him.

He kept his distance as he very slowly got down on his knees, looking from a safe distance at what he must have forgotten there last night.

It may have saved his life to be so shocked that he was speechless. It stopped him from screaming at least.

There was... a man, a whole person under his bed. A living person, to be precise.

Contrary to his childlike self-conceptions about hairy monsters or horribly disfigured faces this monster here seemed almost normal, like a human being actually. Wooyoung used the fear-induced paralysis to stare.

White-blond hair hung untidily over a finely sculpted face with sharply protruding cheekbones and jaw. His face was peaceful while asleep and in one tanned arm he had Shiber, the other was gently wrapped around his white-dressed figure.

He rested on one of the blankets that had been missing from Wooyoung's closet for a while and behind him and attached to the grate of the bed hung a string of fairy lights with small white roses as light sources that bathed him in a warm light.

Wooyoung had not been alone in this house at all.

Now he had several options.

He could lock the door and call the police. Or he could attack the slim looking man on his own. Or he could leave a note with a warning to leave before he did either.

Why did that picture in front of him look so homely? As if this was his life, as if he had built it all up so devotedly?

Child Wooyoung had always failed to make friends with the monster under his bed and in retrospect this might have helped. Maybe his fears would not be so tangible then.

Well, but in the end this was not a fantasy-filled monster but nothing but a human being under a bed. A stranger in Wooyoung's home.

Wooyoung shook his head quietly and left the room again silently, briefly weighing his options before finally locking it firmly. From the first floor one could still climb out of the window comfortably and if the guy had not done so until Wooyoung came back with help - somethat would not immediately declare him completely crazy - only then it would be time to call the police in his eyes.

What could he tell them? 'In my house a burglar has nested in peaceful coexistence under my bed and I only noticed him after two weeks, please help me!'?

Doubtfully he stepped down the stairs sneakily and took his coat off the hook in a still disturbed state before he hurriedly set off to walk around the lake. It looked even more dull today, the light drizzle creating small ripples on the water surface.

Yongguk opened his door again almost immediately, this time with his excitedly panting poodle Tigger at his feet and his face immediately became concerned when he noticed Wooyoung's ashen skin, the deep rings under his eyes.

"Can I come in?"


	5. Afternoon Tea

Yongguk was reliable.

In response to Wooyoung's strange story about his hallucinations and the full grown man under his bed he did not burst into cynical laughter and to Wooyoung's greatest surprise he almost looked understanding. He had grabbed the younger man and sat him down in his sterile kitchen, brewing tea and every now and then humming in reply while Wooyoung talked like a waterfall.

"But you say you didn't know the man? Are you sure it wasn't one of those sleep deprivation induced delusions," he began to approach the subject absolutely soberly afterwards, also placing a warm cup in front of Wooyoung around which he immediately snuggled his hands comfortably.

"To be sure, I can't be sure in my present mental state anyway. But it's getting too much to be just me. It's too suspicious and he seemed very real."

"Where else have you noticed changes?"

And Wooyoung recalled everything. Every little detail he remembered, every apparent illusion and naive fear. Yongguk listened earnestly and sipped his tea thoughtfully from time to time, absolutely silent.

Wooyoung was exhausted after he had finally summarized all the incidents which had taken their beginnings in the fridge. He slumped back bonelessly on his chair, the cup in his hands a barely sufficient consolation.

"I can offer to escort you home and take a look. But as it sounds, that's very much up to you and your condition."

Yongguk took a deep breath and Wooyoung prepared to be recommended to go see a psychologist, a hospital or even a mental institution directly but what Yongguk said instead was nowhere near it.

"Have you noticed that you are dealing with your childhood fears? All those things, something under the bed, something chasing you in the dark, the chair monster... they have one thing in common, don't they?"

Wooyoung probably listened much too attentively to those senseless things, forgetting his tea while he was hanging on Yongguk's every word. He kept muttering in his deep voice, drawing a dark and absolutely unnatural picture. A picture that would make any normal person slap his hand on their forehead but for the desperate and fearful Wooyoung it all sounded very plausible.

"Of course this could be a nasty trick of your head or the city kids. And if it is the children you should mercilessly call the police. But if it is your head you should get to the bottom of it first. These fears must run deep if they're going to get this kind of topicality again."

Wooyoung was just lost.

"So what do you suggest I do?" His usual brilliance seemed dull as Wooyoung muttered softly and vulnerably, his lips chapped and rough from stress.

"I want you to go back there alone and face them. Whoever or whatever that is, when it puts away your juice bottle and hangs the laundry for you and turns out the lights, it can't be that bad. I'm gonna observe the whole thing per phone and jump in if anything happens, alright? I just don't think it's gonna work if I'm there right now." He sounded so absolutely sure of himself, as confident as an expert in the field and it was enough for a tired and gullible Wooyoung to be nodding with hope and determination. That was how they would do it. It could not go wrong.

A little germ of doubt gently pointed out to Wooyoung how Yongguk certainly was not an expert on ghosts and that was how all the stupid people in horror movies always died but Yongguk was right for sure. What was actually supposed to happen to him? He had locked up the intruder and knew very well that nothing ever had happened while he was awake.

And that was exactly how they moved. Yongguk received Wooyoung's number and called him, calming him down with his soft and soothing voice as he ran back and although Wooyoung's heart threatened to jump out of his chest in fear he felt strengthened through the other's words.

Perhaps he also simply belonged to the generation that could not care less in this world whether they lived or died. A tired generation.

The house was untouched when he entered, everything as usual and Wooyoung first checked everything - including the refrigerator - then he sneaked up the stairs to knock on his own door in a strange motion.

No answer.

Wooyoung exhaled audibly into the receiver and then got down on his knees to carefully peer under the door and diagonally to the bed. His suitcase. No light, no nest, no Shiber.

"Yongguk I have gone completely crazy. There's nothing there."

Yongguk mumbled approvingly at the other end as if he had expected it then he lowered his voice further.

"Go to the basement. Do something inconspicuous there and leave it how you normally do. Pretend to hang up first but leave your phone on. Can you do that for me?"

"Okay. Then bye and thanks for the help. It was very nice chatting with you," he announced a little louder, wondering for a long uncomfortable moment which ears were listening to him. He tapped once on the screen - speaker - and then let the phone slide into his pocket, the call still going on.

He was careful as he went back down into the basement, could not keep himself from looking around suspiciously, checking the dark corners thoroughly. The staircase to the basement seemed endless.

Once downstairs he stood indecisively in the room for only a second then he went to get some rubber boots and garden tools. He might as well pretend to clean up outside while he was at it.

The swollen green sweater still was a thorn in his flesh and for a moment he toyed with the idea of taking it with him and throwing it away but there was still time for that later. For now it was all about the mission.

He turned his back to the room and already felt the icy panic creeping into his limbs, his movements becoming uncoordinated as he turned on the light switch and shuddered as cool air brushed across his neck like faint breath.

And he ran.

His blood was too loud to hear much more but the patter of his feet seemed too numerous again. A mere fantasy.

The fear vanished as soon as he reached the top of the stairs and shakingly he entered the hall again, just about to reach for the mobile phone in his pocket when the doorbell rang.

It took his incompetent brain a long moment to grasp what was going on then he finally managed to get moving and open it. Yongguk stood in front of it with his cell phone at his ear and the other hand in the pocket of his coat.

He was calm and serious not having panic-stricken eyes like Wooyung and his eyes glided through the house behind the other, peering away and seeming to hang for a long moment at the top banister.

"Wooyoung! I was just about to call to see what took you so long. We were supposed to go shopping together!", he said with a fake smile and Wooyoung needed another moment then he finally got it.

"That's right! Silly me, I'm really tired." His laughter sounded artificial even to his own ears. Hurriedly he put the garden things down next to the door, threw half of them over with his trembling and then turned around to close and lock the door.

Yongguk obviously wanted him out of there.

Wooyung's hands were shaking too much to get the key properly into the lock and when Yongguk reached out to help the warm touch of his skin was like a panacea. Wooyoung calmed down immediately.

Yongguk spoke muffled at his ear, his voice barely audible.

"Two o'clock, at the top of the railing."

Wooyoung's eyes glided upwards searchingly and his heart stopped completely for a long moment. There, caught in the railing's struts the red puppet was hanging, its empty, painted eyes fixed directly on them both.

Yongguk slammed the door shut with force.

"W-What was-" The smaller of the two fell silent again as Yongguk grabbed him roughly by the hand, pulled him to his car and carelessly pressed him into the passenger seat before he got into the driver's seat himself, searching for the right key.

"You are definitely not alone in there. Something was chasing you down in the basement. You would have noticed the doll if it had been there before. You shouldn't be there right now."

"You knew exactly what to do. You knew exactly when to be there."

It took too long to run around the lake just like that and Yongguk was not even out of breath.

Wooyoung's tongue was heavy and felt furry from the disgusting taste of fear in his mouth as he quietly analyzed, trying to understand Yongguk.

"You knew something was there. Was it always like this? Was it always like that with my grandparents already? You could have given me a heads-up."

"I could not have." Yongguk was focused on the road and Wooyoung stared at him timidly and narrowly from the side, his knees protectively drawn to his body. "I didn't know how many I could assume. There are at least three in your house. Tell me more about your childhood fears, Wooyoung."


	6. Lurking

Wooyoung had actually feared many things as a child, was a total sissy. In his rebellious teenage years however, he had thrown most of these childish fears overboard, simply losing them with age. It was like growing out of clothes.

No matter how many times he was told that children had much better instincts for such things, no matter how many times a film had tried to frighten him in its art he could absolutely not understand now how these fears could actually be real and material. How every child in the world could be right in their fears and those monsters just dissipated over the years.

"I don't know if it's because of this place or because of its inhabitants. Perhaps this city was built on ancient ruins that we sould have rather left alone. But I, too, found familiar happenings going on around me when I returned home. And I'm sure that what is driving you crazy right now are just your old fears that have forgotten over time about how to stay hidden."

According to Yongguk the old spirits should have long since disappeared. They existed to scare children and give them survival instincts, not to scare adults. However, now that he feared them again they seemed to have become stronger and stuck in the house with him. An unspecified number of spirits who knew as little about what to do with him as he did with them.

Wooyoung had asked in a very small voice, "Can they kill me?". He was sitting on a bench by Yongguk's side, chewing on a pretzel while the autumn wind whirled leaves through the air and into Yongguk's wild hair. The man wore a beige and red scarf, being snuggled closely into his black coat.

"They cannot. But they can drive you mad enough that you might be willing to do it yourself. You have to be careful with that kind of ghost. They're like old friends, they grew up with you and they're as self-reliant as you are. But fear is always a negative thing. Now that you know that they are around you, you should come to an understanding with them. They're like... unwanted housemates."

Yongguk sighed the sigh of one who knew too well what he was talking about and Wooyoung just stared out into the park, not seeing anything, not having a clue how to do that. Were ghosts paying rent? Could he ever get rid of them?

Probably when he moved away. They truly seemed tied to his childhood home.

"How many do you have?"

"Five. You're counting five right now, too, right? You might be okay with five but they're all different. Sometimes I even forget that they're not real people."

Right, they had been talking about it. Wooyoung had thought about it for a long time and he'd recalled five fears he'd also rediscovered in the house.

There was the fear of the dark, especially in the basement. Then the red puppet on his dresser. The chair that looked like a headless person. The green sweater in the basement. And of course the monster under his bed. The one with the delicately chiselled features and Shiber in his arms, that's right.

Yongguk had assured him that the refrigerator encounter was not an overtired fantasy either but they both didn't quite know where to place this ghost. Everything depended on waiting and discussing it with them.

And nothing spooked Wooyoung anymore.

He should talk to ghosts? In order to leave his childhood fears behind him? He was too old for that Ouija nonsense. He just wanted to be left alone...

Yongguk on the other hand had insisted on an agreement. Those ghosts only knew of frightening others and he could not possibly leave the house in their hands, allowing them so much power. Yongguk apprehended a power imbalance.

Absurd as it sounded there seemed to be even hierarchies, rogue spirits and chief spirits and all those things.

Had he not seen it for himself he would probably have simply declared Yongguk crazy and admitted them into a mental insitute together.

This time however Wooyoung parried. He had good hopes of talking calmly to them now that he knew a few more details. Yongguk quietly drove them both home towards the evening and Wooyoung accompanied him to the chilly lake, allowing himself to hug the other man for a moment.

"You can do it. If you can't, I live right over there, Wooyoung," the elder had said laughingly, his hand gently in Wooyoung's untidy hair. Wooyoung had only mumbled incomprehensibly into his chest, muttering something about ghostly houses.

Wooyoung stood by the lake for quite a while lost in thought and the sun had already set, Yongguk long gone into his own house when he decided to take up the matter.

It could take weeks, months for them to open up to him. He didn't expect much.

It was this attitude that made him turn around nonchalantly and not be in the least be prepared for the sight greeting him. Right behind him, clearly outside of the house that bound the spirits and barely an arm's length away, stood a huge figure.

It was a shapeless, black and green pile, it looked more like a chaotic accumulation of algae but Wooyoung cried out loudly anyway, stumbling backwards in panic. His shrill scream was loud enough to be probably heard over half of the lake.

It was strange.

The figure in front of him jumped back with an equally frightened shout, his voice much lower than Wooyoung's high one and both stared (?) at each other while frozen from a safe distance. Wooyoung was still struggling loudly for breath while the thing had raised a human hand from the mass of algae, pressing it indignantly to its chest.

"My goodness, don't scare me like that," it came out scandalized from between the leaves and Wooyoung didn't quite know whether to throw a stone or laugh hysterically.

"Me, you? Have you ever looked at yourself? What is this, is it Halloween already?!"

Upon the strange silence Wooyoung pulled himself up from his half-fallen pose and captured the whole thing with a disbelieving picture before he marched decisively closer raising his phone threateningly.

The algae were slippery under his fingers as he pushed them aside with a grimace, revealing an actual human head and soon followed shoulders and a soaked, dark outfit.

The man was young, probably around Wooyoung's age and his hair stuck sadly and wetly to his head, his face confused as he stared at a very frustrated Wooyoung.

"There. I had every right." Wooyoung pushed his phone into the other's face and the man flinched again, swichting panicked glances by big eyes from the phone back to Wooyoung.

"What is this grotesque... thing?!"

"It's you!"

The stranger looked absolutely disbelieving. Disbelieving and still very, very wet. Wooyoung's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He clearly had other problems than such clowns.

"Okay, who are you and what are you doing all the way out here?"

"I didn't actually come this far out." He squinted over to the darkening lake and Wooyoung just blinked perplexedly, feeling his earlier fright more and more overwhelmed with irritation. A migraine was imminent.

"What, are you telling me you live in the lake?" he mocked because hey, yes, that's exactly how he looked like and Wooyoung was actually about to pack it all in in the meantime. And after all this he still had to talk to his spirits.

"...yes?", it came back quietly and carefully, the face of the stranger suddenly strangely vulnerable and Wooyoung stopped abruptly, dropping his tense shoulders. Of course. Who else...

They had forgotten the monster in the lake.

"Oh... You are... You're one of them. You were waiting for me?"

"Well, I'm the only one who's not bound to the estate and we really need you in there... I mean your keys, 'cause... Ah..." He scratched the back of his head when it finally dawned on Wooyoung.

They could neither leave the house nor climb out of the window. The doll might still be able to fit under the door but he had absolutely locked in the one under his bed. More or less alone.

It was a strange impulse to pity ghosts. Ghosts that were potentially trying to kill him.

He relied entirely on Yongguk's words that they could cause him no harm as he waved to the nameless man to come and then marched with firm steps towards the estate.

"So you knew about this? I mean, that I knew."

"Well, we know Yongguk. I know Yongguk's friends. When he showed up here, we figured as much."

It was so crazy. So weird. He talked to a ghost about his ghost friends.

"And do you have a name?"

"Mingi."

"Fine, I'm Wooyoung." he sighed with the same resignation as Yongguk before while he unlocked the front door. Mingi neatly wiped his shoes clean on the mat before he slowly followed him.

"Yeah, we know."


	7. Whisper

Wooyoung had expected something else.

No, actually he did not.

He was alone. Alone in a dark house full of monsters that Yongguk said could take on any shape they wanted. Alone with a group of supernatural beings who may not be able to hurt him but had more power over his fears than he could endure in his fragile state of mind.

The slamming of the front door behind him was enough to make the heavy feeling of dread cramp in his stomach his skin tingly with hypersensitivity.

He was entirely dependent on them. If they were to decide then and there to scare him so much that he fell down the stairs and into a cruel death then no one would ever know. Only Yongguk.

Mingi followed him comfortably deeper into the building, seemingly searching for his friends. He seemed jumpy enough to turn on the light himself and after a long hesitant look at Wooyoung's tense back he also decided to light a fire. What a strange view.

Somewhere a tap was dripping.

Wooyoung tiredly rubbed his forehead, toying with the idea of taking an aspirin because of all this stress. He certainly was not ready to see his play doll marching around and talking yet. Suddenly the idea of getting drunk did not sound that unattractive anymore either. Still pondering what he thought was better he went straight into the kitchen, leaving Mingi alone to turn off the tap.

With a gargle the water in the drain fell silent.

Mingi had taken on a human form for him. Probably because now as an adult he no longer had a clear picture of his fears. What used to be a colorful horned monster was now nothing really, nothing more than a concept that looked whatever.

Thoughtfully he reached out to the refrigerator to grab his juice, half expecting to see a small angry guy in the door.

But no. For a long moment he just stared thoughtfully into the compartments without actually seeing then his gaze cleared again and he froze. An unheard scream was stuck in his throat.

There was a head. A human head in the fridge. A human head with fibrous torn pieces of skin on the ugly stump of its neck, its eyes wide open.

Wooyoung made no sound, could not move, the grotesque image already cruelly burned behind his eyelids.

He blinked.

And the head blinked back.

Instead of screaming, this time he fainted directly.

-

"You killed him before he unlocked the room?"

"Not me! If certain people hadn't left their heads all over the place again, then--"

"Give me a break! You know very well that I like to chill it down in the evening! You were right there!"

"Doesn't anybody want to talk about how he saw right through us so fast?"

"Well our low profile skills weren't so great now. San literally forgot to turn off his light while waiting for him."

The three voices talking wildly did not exacty help Wooyoung with his migraine and he vocalized the thought with a quiet groan, opening his eyes with a mutter.

There were three pairs of shoulders leaning over him. But only two of the three pairs had heads on them.

His screeching echoed deafeningly through the house, hopefully frightening the last occupant as well by now. With one mindless leap Wooyoung had jumped off the couch and behind the stranger with a head. Clumsily he grabbed the man's hands and pulled them onto his back, meeting little to no resistance from the blond red dressed man.

Full of shock Wooyoung stared for a long moment at the headless man with his head - the one from the refrigerator - under his arm, completely forgetting what he wanted to say when the taste of bile spread on his tongue at the sight of the stump.

Mingi glanced at his green face then he quickly slipped in front of the others with his arms already outstretched, obscuring the view.

"Heeeey I want to greet him too!" The other figure moved and then two arms held his head up, joyful eyes finding Wooyoung. "Hi, Wooyoung!"

He spoke. The severed head spoke.

Wooyoung screamed bloody murder while Mingi began to banish the also blondish man to the kitchen with stern words. At least he was not leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Brilliant.

The red-dressed back in front of him was all that kept him from the second breakdown and Wooyoung trembled miserably as the man half turned his head towards him, peering down over his shoulder.

"Please don't hurt yourself back there, I think you're scratching yourself."

"You-you're my-my hostage," Wooyoung said, feeling so sick with fear and disgust that his intestines would probably feel more comfortable outside of his body than inside right now.

"Oh, I am? Sorry about that." He turned back to the front seriously and Wooyoung used the moment of distraction to take a deep breath, sort himself out while Mingi returned.

"Sorry, man. We keep trying to glue it back on him but it just won't last. Would have been easier if you hadn't decapitated him.", he tried to appease everybody gently. Wooyoung opened his lips overwhelmed.

"I didn't decapitate anyone..."

The words faded into nothingness as Mingi just stared at him in silence because yes, had really beheaded the poor guy. Now he would almost have preferred a bunch of talking clothes to the human form.

"My God."

It was this guy who stood in his room every night. A headless body set up like a dummy with its head in the refrigerator.

This time he actually stumbled clumsily into the back in front of him and the other man effortlessly released his hands from Wooyoung's weak grip to turn around and gently pull Wooyoung into his arms, stroking his hair motherly.

Who was he anyways?

Wooyoung took the head off his admittedly not so uncomfortable shoulder and looked at him sceptically, right now just being happy that he actually had a head in the first place. One that was still attached to his body.

His bright blond hair completely covered one eye from sight and around the other a red triangle was painted from above and below his lids. He wore mainly red and even if it was not exactly the outfit that Wooyoung was used to seeing on him it was not that difficult to pin down this attractive man.

The doll.

Fine. Wooyoung was pretty sure that none of the other spirits would scare him as much as this headless one. He could live with that.

The man - was he still a stranger when he had seen Wooyoung growing up and doing God knows what? - smiled benevolently down at him, ruffling Wooyoung's hair a little more playfully than before.

"I am Seonghwa. The guy who played a joke on you is Jongho. Forgive him, he's out of practice." His smile seemed half tortured and apologetic, half like a real smile. Wooyoung probably would have found it funny if he was not already so disturbed.

"Well... I'm glad. I think. Are there others here like... Jongho?" He asked cautiously and Seonghwa shook his head with a grimace, his hairstyle was absolutely impeccable.

"They are normal. Do you want us to go and get them? Meet them all?"

He was negotiating with ghosts. Wooyoung had rarely felt so close to world domination though he still balanced over the thin blade of sanity.

"I... need caffeine first. And then... yes, yes. Round them up and bring them here. And please do something about his head. At least bandage it up or something." He pleaded quietly and then handed Mingi his room key. He had never been very good at looking at something like that before. Fake or real.

Seonghwa steered him gently to one of the armchairs by the fire and made sure that he was sitting comfortably and then went off to make coffee. Wooyoung heard him argueing loudly with Jongho in the kitchen and wished he could close his eyes in peace but that was not going happen for a while. No chance with these... people here.

So he sat stiff as a stick in the armchair, his hands firmly dug into the leather while Mingi hurried up the stairs to free his friend.

It was such a great evening.

Seonghwa came back with coffee and his hair fell softly into his eyes as he lowered long lashes to put the cup down at Wooyoung's side, his features just as pretty as those of the doll. Wooyoung had clearly lost his mind.

The blond man walked away with another distorted smile into the direction of the basement while it got loud again upstairs, several voices mixing up.

God, how many were there really? Three upstairs, Jongho in the kitchen, Seonghwa with at least one down in the basement, that made six already. Wooyoung sipped his coffee in a stressed manner.

The discussion upstairs continued but not long after Seonghwa had disappeared downstairs, Wooyoung heard a restrained knocking noise and raised his head in an agitated manner to look for the source.

At the door to the cellar below a rather narrowly-built man in a green sweater that seemed far too tall for his stature and was covered in filth up until the peeking fingertips of the man. He had a tender face and light brown curls, looking incredibly harmless and cuddly. As Wooyoung mentioned him to come closer Wooyoung also noticed a reddish birthmark next to his left eye. He seemed all right.

He clasped his sweater paws together when he came over obviously shy, bowing strangely to Wooyoung.

"Hi. I'm Yeosang, the... the green sweater in the basement you're deadly afraid of." He blushed almost cutely and Wooyoung blinked rapidly, later on having to ask Yongguk if it was normal to find a ghost cute.

So Wooyoung just nodded - the sweater was the most harmless thing ever - and indicated for him to take a seat next to him. Yeosang sank further into his sweater as he did so.

"So... How many of you are here exactly?"

"Seven."

Great.


	8. Conference

Wooyoung clearly needed more coffee.

After all, a familiar face had actually joined them from the basement by now. It was the eccentric redhead from the fridge, now life-sized but still looking so small and narrow next to Seonghwa. His eyes, however, were fiery and he introduced himself as Hongjoong, standing his man.

Hongjoong dropped to the floor next to Yeosang and quietly began a conversation while Seonghwa walked towards the kitchen to stick his head into the room in order to confer with Jongho.

Everything was so domestic and strange in equal measure. These men clearly did not belong here and still knew the house like the back of their hands.

When Mingi finally came down the stairs with the last two people he had an even taller dark-haired man with him them two conversing animatedly and lively. In addition he was dragging a quasi invisible figure on his wrist behind the two of them, clearly exerting force.

"Now we are complete!" Seonghwa clapped his hands enthusiastically, having left the kitchen door a little open so that Jongho could have his say and his head peeked out creepily at about the right height without the tear of his neck being visible. Still the angle was not right. Horrible.

Shuddering Wooyoung turned completely to the group of ghosts around him, some on the armchairs, most of them at his feet and some still unknown. They all stared at poor Wooyoung like children at a Christmas tree though and he frantically drank the rest of his coffee, sending a quick prayer to heaven.

"Okay, good. It's nice to finally meet you all without being scared to death.", he began sternly and Yeosang who had the decency to look embarrassed seemed like a good guy to Wooyoung already.

"To be honest I didn't really expect all of this so you'll have to give me a hand. Please just tell me what this is all about who you are and how we shall continue."

They all agreed easily and Wooyoung felt a heavy weight lift off his shoulders.

The huge man turned out to be Yunho, the monster in the sewers. sinks, toilets, showers, whatever. Yunho.

The suspicious redhead was the light monster that had chased Wooyoung through the basement several times before. He usually resided in the fridge because it was a good place to play with the light. Curious children were apparently easy to be trapped there.

Finally there was the last stranger, the man from under his bed sitting behind Yunho. He actively avoided Wooyoung's searching glances and instead cuddled Shiber in his arms. As last time he was dressed in bright white today too which made him look more like an angel with that pretty face than some strange monster. On the other hand one could still argue about the creep skills of this group anyway. Except by Jongho Wooyoung did not feel very creeped out at the moment. Instead they all sat in a cozy circle and chattered lively while Wooyoung still tried to catch a glimpse of the handsome stranger.

Finally Yunho had had enough and gently pushed the other one away from himself by the shoulder, forcing him more into the direction of Wooyoung. But the blond immediately became smaller again behind Yunho's large torso, pressing his face deep into Shibers fur.

Wooyoung finally felt sorry for taking Shiber away so often, for washing him, cuddling him and everything. The man was obviously very attached to the stuffed animal.

In Wooyoung's eyes a formal apology was needed and groaningly he got up from his armchair to dance carefully through the circle, kneeling down in front of the stranger. He just turned away again, hiding in Shiber's fur.

"Hey." Wooyoung touched him gently at the warm and very human upper arm, a slender arm with distinct muscles underneath and sharply protruding bones, fine and delicate. "I'm sorry I locked you up up there you just successfully scared me. And sorry I took Shiber from you, I didn't know." His voice was gentle and understanding, actually made the other one take a good look at Wooyoung, his fox-like curved eyes attentive.

It was an improvement.

Confidently Wooyoung crawled closer on his knees, diregarding the loud conversation of the others to concentrate on this one, on this handsome man who had been resting so devastatingly cute under his bed.

His face turned a pretty pink as Wooyoung gently pulled Shiber away, scrutinized him once more and found himself amazed again at his sharply cut face.

"What's your name?", Wooyoung whispered conspiratorially and the other one, a little less offended by now, straightened up and took his time to study Wooyoung in detail too.

"San."

"Okay, San. Let's be friends from now on and no more pouting, okay? We've both been through enugh of that I think."

The grin that spread on San's face created two deep dimples and his eyes disappeared, his smile completely sunny (sanny?). His voice was high and with a cute undertone when he spoke.

"Okay!"

And it was that simple.

San became an official member of the circle and continued to play with Shiber on his lap while Wooyoung caught himself staring at him again and again, the picture of him very cuddly under his bed now again pressing in his head.

"We still have to discuss the rules, boss," Jongho shouted from the kitchen aaand the mood was ruined. Fabulous.

"Well Yongguk told me that you are bound to me and this house, so I can't get rid of you, right?" They nodded eagerly, Jongho... bobbing his head.

"Fine, I'm willing to share but only because you seem like discreet guys. Should one of you get in my way, I'll have to pull out my flamethrower though." he continued with a fastly pounding heart, watching them whisper warily to each other. But Seonghwa in particular just smiled with a good sense of humor and after all they were like old friends Wooyoung just hadn't met yet.

"I don't want to be frightened anymore by any of you. So stay out of my room at night please. Especially you back there!" He pointed accusingly at Jongho who was just smiling amusedly.

"I want us to talk to each other nicely, alright?" He would deny the way his voice trembled at the words, still not having gotten his head wrapped around the idea of ghostly rommates.

His pack seemed to agree though, after all he was not a child in training anymore and they were all ears when he continued on.

"I appreciate you guys in this form. So I would like you to spend your time as human beings and to live like them if possible. So no creepy dolls in the refrigerator. No sweaters floating around, yes?"

"Where are we going to sleep?", the objection came from Hongjoong and Wooyoung pondered that for a long moment.

"I'm sure about four of you can fit into my grandparents' bed. The smaller ones can go there. In the basement there's still a foldable mattress my parents used to use. We can put that up too. With a little cuddling you two will fit on it." He nodded to Mingi and Yunho, whereupon Yunho immediately gave the other man a kiss on the knuckles that the other one only dismissed with a silly giggle.

"The last one on the couch. You can switch."

His words triggered another general whispering and this time Seonghwa grabbed Wooyoung at his arm and pulled him aside a bit.

"There's a problem."

"What is it?" Wooyoung frowned reluctantly. He had been very pleased with his plan.

"San is the monster under your bed. He can only sleep there." Seonghwa glanced at San who was now half laying in Mingi's lap and sulking again, then the blond bent a little closer to Wooyoung's ear. "He can only really sleep with you in the room. He's afraid of the dark by himself."

It was the most ridiculous thing Wooyoung had ever heard. A monster who was afraid of the dark, a dark filled only by his fellow monsters. Still he did not laugh, seeing the worry etched on Seonghwa's usually calm face made him realize how important this was.

San really seemed to have a lot to sulk about.

"Then... I guess I'll have to get used to that. It's like a sleepover party?", he tried carefully, not wanting to reject everything without knowing enough about it. Sleeping with San under his bed while aware of that seemed better than not having known about his direct proximity for years.

Wooyoung was very familiar with roommates. His brother, his roommates at the university, he had probably experienced everything and such an adorable fear in the dark and love for Shiber Monster he would probably be able to cope with just fine.

He hoped to at least.

The evening was getting too much and too long for him anyway.

So he nodded to Seonghwa once more and received two thumbs up, then he left to break up the meeting.

"Okay, let's do it this way from now on. See you tomorrow. And there better be not even a little finger in my room that doesn't belong there."

Wooyoung ended wth a dramatic finger pointing into the round and Hongjoong snorted sarcastically then rose first. Wooyoung was by now determined to march towards San and pull him up to his side, the rest of the group scattering and leaving Wooyoung to his own devices.

San stumbled clumsily after him when Wooyoung pulled him to his room.

"I thought you-"

"You are the exception. Come on we gotta make do somehow."


	9. Sleepover

Wooyoung would have loved to take his sweet time to digest everything. To call Yongguk and explain what had happened to him, to give Jackson a sign of life or at least to put his own head in order. Within a few days a whole series of events that were difficult to digest had happened and he was more tired and exhausted than he had felt in a long time.

Therefore he was very happy that the spirits seemed to be so sociable but being part of Wooyoung himself they had to be. On the other hand he still had to solve San's dilemma in his room before he could go to bed.

San was... interesting. He seemed so intense in everything he did, his emotions so very expressive. He seemed insecure at the time, his face so vulnerable as he followed Wooyoung into the room, the two soon finding themselves alone together.

San was still holding Shiber protectively in his arms while Wooyoung peered under the bed helplessly, finding only his innocent suitcases again, nothing of a comfortable camp.

Strange.

"Okay, you... Do you have to stay under the bed or could you slip out for a bit? Like sleep next to the bed?", Wooyoung tried carefully as he stepped over to his closet, pulling out fresh clothes to wear to sleep.

San scratched the back of his head indecisively, his white hair only scantily pushed out of his forehead as it always found its way back to its place.

"I actually like it in my corner..." He sounded so soft and vulnerable again and Wooyoung developed serious protective instincts for the monster under his bed this was not right.He was not meant to become in charge of them! One was literally missing his whole damn head!

"Okay, alright. It's like... A bunk bed. I can handle it, okay. Just a creepy roommate."

To say that he remained distraught by the stranger in the room, cute as he was, was an understatement. But panicking got them both nowhere. Problems only became problems when they were treated as such.

"Wooyoung." San's voice was high and whiny and immediately Wooyoung's head snapped around, his worried eyes wide. San had both arms folded around Shiber and sulked, his lips soft and pink and a telltale wetness in his eyes.

"Oh no."

Wooyoung took two steps towards the other and picked up the unobtrusive scent of his own perfume from Shiber. With serious eyes, he put one hand on San's arm, patting clumsily. A heart-rending sniffing answered him but no tears were shed at least.

"I'm sorry, forgive me. I know I'm making one mistake after another with you. I'll work on it I promise. Just... it's all a bit too much for me."

San's eyes found his, so pretty eyes, now filled with the pain of rejection and repeated blunders.

"We've known you... for so, so long, Woo. Always have been. "This... it's like a mother telling her child she doesn't recognize it."

Understanding snatched Wooyoung out of his own head within a second and he cursed himself, finding faults in his behaviour towards them everywhere.

What had Yongguk said? His childhood fears, part of him but their own people. What he did was no better than the behavior of all racist and homophobic bastards. An unpleasant lump formed in his throat.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, San."

A person. A roommate. His roommate.

Wooyoung bravely stepped over the last distance between them and engulfed sweet San awkwardly in his arms. Shiber was wedged between them and the uncomfortable embrace was one-sided but it still counted, San letting his tense shoulders drop on the spot.

"I'll go apologize to the others, alright? First thing in the morning."

San nodded tentatively against his shoulder and he was warm, Wooyoung could feel the ridges of his spine against his back and feel the other's breath brushing across his neck.

A person.

Wooyoung retreated after a while to respect his new friend's space, tilting his own head to check the other's eyes searchingly. San raised his head again to meet Wooyoung's gaze directly, all sadness gone and instead a cautious smile played around his lips.

"It's good that you're back... We missed you." With that he smiled properly and this time Wooyoung's last breath got stuck in his throat as deep dimples dipped deeply into his chiseled face, hardly any eyes left to see.

What had he said before?

"U-Uh-huh," Wooyoung responded barely intelligent and he needed another long moment to digest the sight (it was all too much: tiredness, Shiber, the smell of him, that angelic white everywhere and the smile). Finally, however, he got back to himself and turned around on his heel to march briskly out of the room. For now he would deny how his heart had begun to race at the sight.

Instead, he just stomped into the bathroom to grumble to himself and tear off his clothes in order to pull on the other garments more roughly than necessary.

"Fucking Babyboy Culture, totally unfair."

"Is there a problem, boss?"

Wooyoung scream was loud enough for a siren.

The sound echoed loudly through the house, surprising even Yunho who simply had innocently stuck his head out from behind the half-open shower curtain. Wooyoung had pressed his shirt protectively against his bare chest, his heart now racing for completely different reasons.

While he was still recovering from the shock, the clattering of feet became loud outside and the very next moment the bathroom door flew open energetically, banging dully against the heater padded with thick towels.

Of course Wooyoung had not thought of locking up - he was theoretically home alone!

San rushed in with his pretty face confused but his eyes quickly fixed on Wooyoung's hunched figure. Not two long steps and Wooyoung found himself pressed against his warm body again, gentle fingers laying possessively on his naked back. Hot blood flushed his face.

"What's the matter, did you hurt yourself?" The soft voice above him was full of boundless worry, full of devotion and Wooyoung still blinked in surprise at the bony but decidedly strong shoulder in front of him.

San's warm breath still brushed his hair in one moment, the next it disappeared as he himself searched for the source of the evil, quickly finding Yunho who was probably as frightened as Wooyoung himself.

"What?!", San barked authoritatively, pressing the completely overwhelmed (again) Wooyoung closer to him in order to pull him a little bit further away from Yunho and to put himself between the supposed danger and Wooyoung.

"Uhh..."

"I swear I didn't touch him."

Another voice cleared its throat additionally from the corridor and like a doll Wooyoung was twirled around again, now standing with his back to the sink while San blocked both the shower and the door with his broad shoulders.

"Does anyone want to tell me why you're screaming up here like banshees in the middle of the night? Some of us are actually trying to sleep down there."

Uh-oh. That sounded like Seonghwa.

"Yunho scared Woo!" San defended immediately, his hands still like two possessive heating pads on Wooyoung's exposed back.

"It wasn't intentional! I just wanted to know if everything was alright with him!"

Seonghwa sighed deeply from the doorway and Wooyoung dared to collect his head from San's chest to take a sneaking glance over his shoulder in front of him. The blond in the doorway had his arms crossed and raised an eyebrow inquiringly as Wooyoung's eyes met his.

The younger one tried a distorted grin, putting in as much remorse as possible.

Seonghwa entered the room with another beaten sigh, grabbing Yunho by the ear and then dragged the whining man down the stairs with him. No further words were exchanged so Wooyoung finally broke away from an absolutely combat-ready San. Like a guard dog the other looked around for other potential dangers and then lowered his eyes back to Wooyoung when he found none.

The blush still dusted Wooyoung's cheeks a bit but he managed to clear his throat in an awkward way.

"Thank you... I don't think he would have hurt me but that was... unexpected."

San just nodded responsibly and then gently plucked the forgotten shirt from Wooyoung's clammy hands, twisting it around to gently pull it over the other person's head. Embarrassed Wooyoung helped out, not used to this kind of attention anymore, especially not from pretty roommates.

San fortunately left afterwards but left the door of the room ajar as if to run back to him if he even bleeped.

Wooyoung paranoidly brushed his teeth and washed his face, only returning to the other one afterwards. Inwardly he had already prepared himself for a long night but all tiredness seemed to catch up with him as soon as his head laid on his pillow.

"Good night, San," he murmured sleepily to the other one and a gentle klick was heard from underneath as San turned off his light and got comfortable in the darkness for a moment.

"Sleep well, Woo." There it was again, the high sweet voice Wooyoung had already gotten used to and it did not take even a minute for him to fall deep into the land of dreams.


	10. Quality Time

The next morning came with the gentle pitter-patter of rain against the window and as Wooyoung blinked sleepily at the glass there was nothing outside but a greyish soup, drops of water racing down the window pane.

His back cracked warningly as he stretched, thinking for a long moment about staying in his soft nest that surrounded him warmly and seductively.

Only then did he notice the absolute silence in the house.

Not that his house should be anything other than quiet but the complete absence of any noise had a numbing effect, the rain seeming almost too loud. Perfect for scaring people, for example defenseless Wooyoungs.

He was careful as he climbed to the edge of the bed on his hands and knees, lying down flat to peek underneath. He was ready for a cruel joke, Jongho's grinning head or a bloody clown or something like that but none of that was waiting for him. There was only San, cuddled up close to Shiber and his face peaceful. He was still fast asleep and Wooyoung toyed with the idea of covering his so slim looking figure with a blanket but then rejected the thought because of lack of space.

Breakfast first. Then he had to apologize. Then he had to get used to these roommates.

Soft-footed Wooyoung sneaked out of the dubious room and down the stairs, his bare feet sensitive to the cold flags of the corridor.

Downstairs another interesting sight awaited him.

They had actually set up the spare bed next to the sitting area in the evening and Mingi was sprawled out on it, his feet put up and quite unclothed at first sight. Yunho was laying instead of next to him next to the mattress on the floor in front of the extinguished fireplace, rolled into an oversized ball and with his cheek squished against his arm.

On the couch itself there was a red dressed back but it did not seem to be there alone either. A third leg had been thrown over Seonghwa's own legs, the corresponding naked foot twitched slightly again and again during sleep.

Wooyoung overlooked the scene with an incredulous grin, could not help but find it absolutely adorable and imagine what happened last night. It calmed him that they were so peaceful, felt so at ease. Then he could do the same.

Tiptoeing he went to light a fire, listening to Mingis loud snoring while his eyes kept checking on a peaceful Yunho, Seonghwa's relaxed back and the strange tuft of red hair on the doll's chest.

As soon as warm flames began to flicker he crept away again, closing the kitchen door behind him and listening intently for a moment but nothing sounded. They all slept like babies.

With a silly grin on his lips he wandered to the refrigerator, relieved not to find a head in it this time and made himself breakfast as quietly as possible - he doubted that the ghosts were actually eating.

The silence did not last long but he enjoyed every second of it.

Yeosang was the first to peek his curly head into the room, his eyes not yet fully open and rubbing his hand busily across his cheeks.

"Good morning.", Wooyoung greeted him softly, it was ot uncomfortable but Yeosang also made it easy for him by smiling sweetly before he entered completely.

He had continued to wear that dirty sweater and Wooyoung examined him for a long time while Yeosang nervously kneaded his sleeves.

"Shall we wash this thing? No one has thought of this for years..."

Yeosang looked surprised. Eyes wide and insecure as they glided from Wooyoung's face to his sweater and then came a tentative nod.

Wooyoung grinned as cheerfully as he could and ate up before leaving the room with the other, passing a Yunho who by now had a pillow and the others as they snuck into the basement. Down here the rain was no longer audible and Wooyoung studied the instructions on different kinds of colorful detergents in detail, not wanting to ruin Yeosang's whole existence, of course.

"Okay, give it to me."

Yeosang peeled the ugly thing off and shivered briefly in his white T-shirt while Wooyoung now read the instructions on the faded label. However when he noticed the goosebumps on Yeosang's arms he nodded slightly towards the passageway.

"Go upstairs and get another sweater from me while yours is still washing. Be careful, San is still sleeping."

Yeosang nodded eagerly and stopped rubbing his own arms, hurrying to escape.

Wooyoung started humming softly as he finished the rest and crossed the room more calmly than usual to turn off the light.

Almost immediately a cold breath stroked his sensitive neck, sending an unpleasant shiver down his arms. He struck the light switch again with force and whipped around, flinching immediately when Hongjoong's face was much too close to his.

The redhead looked surprised too for a moment and Wooyoung almost forgot his anger as he noticed the wildly protruding strands of hair on the other's head, almost giggling.

"Didn't I say I don't want to be scared?"

"Did I say I'd listen to you?"

The redhead was clearly still angry with him. It probably had to do with his ignorance of them. That or he was just worried. He seemed more mature than the rest. Not as motherly as Seonghwa but definitely more serious.

"Listen, I'm sorry. I know I wasn't fair to you yesterday but I regret it and I'll try to do better. I'm not trying to oppress you," Wooyoung said sincerely and Hongjoong barely relaxed noticeably, even if his eyes remained fiery.

"We will see, if you really will." With that he marched up the stairs full of conviction, just looking terribly small in his huge sweater and thick socks but Wooyoung wisely decided not to comment on it.

Rather he followed sighingly and found Yeosang upstairs who was by now wearing a red sweater of Wooyoung's and with San sleepingly standing held by his hand.

A barely audible cooing slipped unintentionally over Wooyoung's lips as he looked at the man dressed in white, Shiber was again part of his outfit and his lips were a little swollen and unconsciously pushed into a sulk, his eyes closed. He stood but his head leaned heavily against Yeosang's, soft hair tickling both of their cheeks.

Yeosang smiled again when he saw Wooyoung then his eyes slid towards San and he gently squeezed the other's hand.

San barely raised his head and opened his eyes just wide enough to see, quickly finding Wooyoung. A dazed grin appeared on his lips and he stumbled towards his newest friend, sinking cuddly into his arms to continue dozing on his shoulder. Wooyoung hummed again, his heart soft as he stroked San's hair. Yeosang smiled fleetingly.

Yeosang himself crept away satisfied with his work and wordlessly threw himself on Mingi who faltered in the middle of his snoring, not appreciating the elbow in the pit of his stomach. Wooyoung stepped forward in baby steps, swaying the cumbersome San with him to join the others.

Yeosang had made himself comfortable like a cat on Mingis back and Yunho too began to sit up with many blinks while Seonghwa called through the house for Jongho, carelessly dropping a brown box on the bed next to Wooyoung. Curious, he sat down, allowing San to cuddle his head to his lap.

"What is this?"

"Game day. Time for a few group-strengthening exercises," the blonde replied absolutely flatly, catching Hongjoong by the collar just in time as he tried to sneak away unnoticed. "And you need it most of all, sit down." With some force he compelled Hongjoong to sit on the couch next to an excitedly teetering Yunho, pulling a twister game out of the box to set it up with Yeosang's help while footsteps finally became loud upstairs.

Wooyoung concentrated on the feeling of San's hair under his fingers only looking up at Jongho when there was no other way out.

He actually had his head on his shoulders. His neck was wrapped with a thick strap that was probably meant to stabilize it and it would certainly work if he stayed upright but then... Twister. Wooyoung smiled at him anyway and Jongho only half creepily returned the gesture then he sat down next to the spinning wheel.

"I'm a referee. Which one of you wants to play first? Wooyoung you have to anyway.", he immediately pretended to be serious and Wooyoung sighed as he laughed up his sleeve. He was probably more flexible than all of them combined.

"Fine, let's start with Hongjoong because he doesn't want to." Jongho winked playfully at the boiling redhair. "I'm going to ask you questions and only after you answer we will move on."

Wooyoung nodded confidently and freed himself from a groaning San reaching out for him, pushing Yeosang to his place instead to step up to a corner of the field. Hongjoong defiantly confronted him.

"I don't bite.", Wooyoung made the first conciliatory attempt and Hongjoong just gritted his teeth, nodding at Jongho to start the game.

"I do."

Okay, Wooyoung would somehow get this to-

"Seonghwa knows.", said San's soft and sleepy voice from Yeosang's lap and for a moment everything was quiet then Jongho exploded with laughter first.

"Whoooooo!", it came from Yunho and Mingi while Hongjoong still looked as if he was planning seventeen different ways to murder San inside his head. Yeosang just watched silently while Seonghwa embarrassedly started rubbing at his neck, a normal reflex but a fatal mistake in this situation.

Twister had to wait.


	11. Game of Murder

Twister had rarely seemed so exciting to Wooyoung. So exciting and so dangerous.

Hongjoong's disapproving eyes could have melted holes into the wall if he had stared much more intensely and yet he seemed absolutely determined to win this game. They had already been playing the game for a few rounds and so far Jongho had only asked harmless questions like their hobbies or favorite animals (Hongjoong liked music, Minions - which counted as animals for him-, chicken and the color red).

Their position at the time was only half uncomfortable, Hongjoong squatted like a rabbit next to Wooyoung and he had thrown one arm over Wooyoung's body to get to green. Wooyoung was stretched backwards across the board and held himself upright on trembling arms.

"And next question - Wooyoung: single or in a relationship?" Jongho flatly returned the flabbergasted look that Wooyoung gave him. "Or married?" he then added in a conciliatory tone and Wooyoung let his head roll back with a whimper.

"What's that got to do with getting to know each other? Nothing changes.", he protested with a breaking voice and Hongjoong dug his elbow into his stomach, almost toppling him down.

"It doesn't matter, answer before my legs fall asleep."

"Alright! No, no relationship!"

Somewhere among the onlookers an 'Aww' could be heard as Wooyoung's head hung low while Jongho stared confusedly.

"How can you not date Suji anymore? You were the perfect couple!"

Yunho threw in some emotional support while Wooyoung only sighed deeply.

"It just happened, okay? We went different ways and now you have to ask Hongjoong two questions too!"

Jongho just shook his head in disappointment and turned the disc again, watching closely where it landed.

"Left foot green. Okay, so tell me Hongjoong. Single or in a relationship?"

Hongjoong threw one leg over Wooyoung's hips, stood on hands and feet above him. Wooyoung avoided analyzing his delicate features too closely, politely turning his head to the side. He unexpectedly caught San's gaze, the man was now fully awake and watched the scene from Yeosang's lap. When their eyes met he didn't grin, rather he just watched the distance between Wooyoung and the smaller body above him carefully.

"I have an open relationship with death, go on," Hongjoong grumbled even more reluctantly than Wooyoung as an answer and this time Wooyoung couldn't resist and let his eyes wander to Seonghwa.

He was leaning against the wall and watched everything with benevolent eyes but he did pull a face when Hongjoong answered (or maybe he smiled, who knew at that distance).

"Uh, kinky. We didn't really want to know," Jongho replied with an equally appreciative look at Seonghwa and Wooyoung was about to start giggling when a heavy weight hit his body, successfully pushing him to the ground. Hongjoong immediately jumped up again to grab Jongho by his collar and heads were going missing while the two fought with each other, ignoring the disappointed protests from Mingi.

"Let's maybe play something less physical.", Yeosang made a quiet suggestion while Wooyoung was still on the floor, struggling for breath.

"Intimate.", whispered Jongho's head next to them while his body fought somewhere else with Hongjoong and Wooyoung rolled away inconspicuously, hoping to make it to the kitchen before someone caught him.

"Monopoly"?

"Last time we played Monopoly Mom and Dad almost got divorced and Jongho nearly burned the house down so I'd rather not."

"Ludo in teams of two. We could- Hey, Wooyoung, why the rush?" It was Seonghwa's smug voice of all people that finally stopped him from escaping and Wooyoung froze where he had just crawled across the floor like a slimy worm.

A hand grabbed him resolutely by the foot and dragged him back to them, ignoring his feeble protests.

"Alright, what teams?"

Wooyoung sighed as he was released from Yeosang's grip to sit up again, the rest of the team gathered around him and beginning to set up the board. For the question he could not help but take a searching look at San, already finding his company most comfortable. The white-blond had already moved close to Yunho's side however and had possessively grabbed one of his arms to embrace it. Sweetly he spoke to the other one who nodded attentively and with a lit up face.

Alright, then.

"I want to be part of a team with Seonghwa.", Wooyoung made his suggestion quietly and the rest just shrugged their shoulders, the respective doll sitting down next to Wooyoung with a smile. Seonghwa did not forget to gently run his fingers through Wooyoung's hair as he reached for the red playing figures and for a moment Wooyoung indulged in the long-forgotten feeling.

Mingi and Yeosang played yellow and Hongjoong played black with Jongho and even though they had far too many people gathered around the game board with pointed elbows at ribs and knees touching other knees everywhere it was cozy. It was just like as if Wooyoung was playing with Jackson and the others.

Here and there discussions and heated poke fights broke out from time to time but otherwise the game went smoothly. In the end San and Yunho won but Wooyoung and Seonghwa were still second while Mingi was still arguing with Yeosang about his self-made rules.

Seonghwa suddenly leaned over to Wooyoung after the game and he flinched at first when a heavy hand suddenly found his shoulder but then quickly relaxed again. The blond man's voice was deep and scratchy so close to his ear and Wooyoung's eyes found the ground as he focused intently on the other's words.

"You smell really good, you know that?" Seonghwa wasted not a second to press his nose into the soft hair behind Wooyoung's ear, taking a deep breath. The poor boy flinched noticeably under the sudden proximity of the other, feeling a deep redness cross his face as Seonghwa comfortingly found his thigh with one hand.

"U-Uh, thanks? I think?" His voice was little more than a frightened squeak, drowning within the discussion of the others. Seonghwa just hummed throatily at his skin, tilting his head more in Wooyoung's direction and as if he was about to commit an outrage, Wooyoung could not help but look around the room nervously.

Mingi and Yeosang had a lively discussion with San and the referee. Yunho on the other hand was just sitting underneath San, laughing loudly and having a great time. Hongjoong was still sitting relatively close to them and immediately met Wooyoung's slightly overstrained gaze. With questioning eyes he watched the scene, then he grinned like a wolf. Wooyoung's stomach dropped.

On his hands and knees the redhead crawled over to them and found room on Wooyoung's other side, also placing a much smaller hand on his free thigh in a mirror gesture.

Hongjoong hummed benevolently as he also sniffed far too close to Wooyoung's neck, Seonghwa still leaning heavily on his free shoulder.

Wooyoung broke out in a sheer sweat as Hongjoong now also snuggled up to his side without the will to leave, too intimidated and overwhelmed to do much.

"You're sensitive here, aren't you?" Hongjoong whispered scratchily against Wooyoung's neck, laughing darkly when the man in response just shivered.

"What do you want?"

"To play, Wooyoung. Always to play."

Restless Wooyoung tried to wriggle out of the affair a bit, still not comfortable with that kind of closeness. With rather few success on both sides he felt himself be put right back through the warm and not bad-looking wringer, sending a quick prayer to heaven.

Hongjoong's hand gripped a little tighter as he let his nose glide coldly along Wooyoung's neck and Wooyoung bit his lip insecurely, shying away from the ticklish feeling. Would it upset them if he fled?

"Hongjoong..."

"We know each other well enough by now, Wooyoungie, call me hyung."

Wooyoung's incredulous gasp fell on deaf ears.

"You are literall made by me, I am clearly older than you!"

"Wrong. We've existed for thousands of years, merely in this life with you. Hyung it is." Hongjoong sounded happy and put just a bit of distance between them. Wooyoung did not know what he thought was worse, cold Hongjoong or this one.

"Then please, Seonghwa-hyung!" As Wooyoung shied away from the other man's warm breath, he more or less landed in Hongjoong's chest, trying to keep both of them away wailingly.

"How sweet.", was Hongjoong's unhelpful giggle behind him while Seonghwa came closer again, by now literally lying over the high-pitchedly pleading Wooyoung.

"Nu-uh. Not hyung."

With wide, panicked eyes, Wooyoung stared at him, his good-looking face so calm and smugly close to his own.

"Then what?"

Seonghwa just grinned broadly and just opened his mouth to answer but then suddenly Yunho threw him to the ground when the tall man threw himself on him like an oversized puppy.

Wooyoung immediately shot up from his seat and fled, barely conscious enough to drag Yeosang with him.

He clearly had to talk to Yongguk.


	12. Surprise

Yeosang looked like a new man.

If not caked with dirt his beloved sweater still had a relatively unsightly chemical green color but now with his soft curls and oversized hoodie the man just looked very small and cuddly. A delicate blush graced his cheeks as he looked grateful to Wooyoung and back at himself again, amazed by his appearance as if could hardly believe he was clean and smelling good. Wooyoung could only watch him content, concentrating so much on taking care of Yeosang that he almost forgot about it again.

Yeosang's nervously rubbing hands stopped their movement at some point when in a sudden impulse he spread his arms wide and gave Wooyoung a cautious smile. For a long moment Hongjoong and Seonghwa were far, far away from his mind as Wooyoung benevolently pulled the other into his own arms and briefly inhaled the fresh smell of lemongrass. Then, however, someone was already quietly clearing his throat behind them and the moment of calm was over.

Wooyoung carefully released Yeosang from his grip and turned towards the cellar entrance, finding Yunho's tall figure casting a dark shadow in the passage. His face was tense, all the playfulness of before had vanished.

"Your phone.", was all he said and with a huge hand he handed the excitedly flashing device to Wooyoung then he already took off again. Yeosang happily hopped after him while Wooyoung remained alone in the basement, curiously skimming his notifications.

There were four missed calls from Jackson, a long paragraph stressing his concern for Wooyoung, then a message of 'I'm going to check on you now, you'd better not be dead' and the latest one a 'I'll be there in ten minutes, are you alive?' Two minutes ago.

With an audible slap his hand collided with his forehead before Wooyoung accelerated up the stairs two steps at a time, hurriedly slipping around the corner to the mattress where the others were still hanging around. San took a close look at Wooyoung's hounded expression then he was already on his feet and hurried over to him.

He had to get rid of the mattress, put his ghosts somewhere, make sure they left Jackson alone, go to Yongguk, put Jackson himself somewhere, make a pact with Hongjoong, he had to-

"Woo, hey, take it easy." Sans warm hands found his hips in a stabilizing touch, the other one's face dark with worry. "What's wrong?"

Wooyoung's panicked gaze went from him to the others who had stopped all conversation to watch the events confusedly, even Hongjoong looked seriously alert.

"Jackson - my best friend Jackson is coming here. In about five minutes. How can I-" Wooyoung's high and hoarse voice broke away and he founf himself immediately in a protective embrace. They were like a home, San's possessive arms and Wooyoung exhaled shakily against the man's collarbone, the phone slippery in his weak grip.

"Don't worry, Wooyoung-ah. We won't get in your way," it came gently from Hongjoong's direction who rose dutifully and waved the rest to follow. "Guys, we're leaving. He won't see us even if we're right in front of him but we'll try to stay away anyway."

That was surprisingly mature of him. Wooyoung should really have a serious talk with Hongjoong and sort things out.

For that moment, however, it was enough for him to feel his heart slowly start to calm down at San's chest and see the others leave while his new friend held him steadfastly. His thumbs had found their way under Wooyoung's sweater and now just stroked haphazard patterns into his skin but it helped.

"Will you be alright? I'll be upstairs if you need me.", San murmured softly into Wooyoung's hair after a moment, his high, happy voice gone. It was replaced by a deep dialect that glided like velvet over rough stone and Wooyoung suddenly broke away intimidated by him, searching his loyal eyes for a moment.

"Yes, I- Yes. Thank you, Sanie." He suddenly felt like a child next to the taller and so angelic man, so insignificant and clumsy.

"Anything for you."

San smiled, with dimples and everything and Wooyoung could only marvel in silence as the man left a fleeting kiss on his forehead, then jumped back up the stairs, giggling.

A long moment passed with Wooyoung's heart racing and his thoughts still full of trying to make San smile again, hearing his dark voice or feeling his warm touch, then the bell ripped him out of his trance.

For a second the shy introvert in Wooyoung gambled with the thought of playing dead and leaving the door closed but then his feet carried him forward to the certain chaos already. His sighing was drowned out by the loud squeaking of the door as it swung open, bringing in a gush of icy November air.

Jackson was in his arms before Wooyoung knew what was happening to him and at first he did not even hear his friend, much too overwhelmed by the loud shouting in his ear.

"HOWDAREYOUNOTGIVINGMEANYSIGNOFLIFEITHOUGHTYOUWEREDEADOREVENWORSEWITHOUTWIFIANDCAMEASSOONASICOULDEVERYBODYISWORRIEDSICKABOUTYOUWHYDOYOULOOKTHISTIREDEXPLAINYOURSELFYOUNGMANWHATISTHISANDHOW-"

Wooyoung faded him out again with a grimace and pulled him staggeringly into his apartment, kicking the door shut so as not to frighten the occasional squirrel. With Jackson's blonde bleached hair all over his airways, they struggled briefly then Wooyoung managed to grab the other resolutely by the shoulders and push an arm's length away.

Jackson's eyes were wild and reproachful, his scarf wrapped around his neck carelessly and his coat buttoned up wrong, he looked absolutely chaotic.

Wooyoung couldn't suppress the stab of remorse in his heart and just sighed softly before he let himself be hugged again, hastily assuring that he was okay.

It was part of their habit that Jackson patted and felt all over his body, checking that everything was still in place. Wooyoung let the treatment pass in silence and kicked the man when he deliberately tickled him but then everything was okay again and Jackson calmed down a bit to go into sulking mode immediately.

"You ignored me!"

"I was not. I was gonna message you but there was a lot going on here."

"You did that on purpose, I know you! Don't you love me anymore?"

A quick look at Jackson's face was enough and immediately Wooyoung discovered his suspiciously glistening eyes, had to prepare himself for a sad sniffle.

"No, of course I do, puppy, I'm sorry, okay? Don't be sad." Wooyoung tried to smile only to promptly ruffle the older one's hair affectionately, immediately seeing a big grin grow again.

"Okay, now tell me, what happened? Did some handsome guy distract you?"

Jackson latched onto a wildly blushing Wooyoung and a sly 'AHA!' sounded at the same moment.

"Tell me everything, where did you meet him in this godforsaken corner of the world, what's his name? He's taller than me, isn't he? You like to date the taller guys."

Wooyoung's eyes scurried panickedly across the room and up the stairs until to the gallery above them on which banister Seonghwa had laid down his arms, with a no less knowing grin smirk smugly looking down at them both.

He had to silence Jackson, quickly.

"U-Uh, let's discuss this another time. On a walk in the woods or something, they're very refreshing out here. How long do you plan on staying?"

With a last warning glance at seonghwa who merely winked at him comradely, the two men entered the kitchen, jackson was quickly pushed onto a bench.

"I don't know, I came here completely rash. At least until your birthday. You weren't gonna celebrate it without me, were you?" Jackson began to reproachfully peel himself out of his thick clothes.

Wooyoung hesitated a moment too long at the thought of a birthday together with his childhood fears and the corners of the other man's mouth twitched again.

"Oh? Is it that guy? Come on, don't keep me in suspense! I wanna know everything!"

"I don't have to tell you anything." Wooyoung childishly stuck out his tongue at his best friend leaving him in the dark and ignoring his pout as well. He was save for now, but how long would it last? Jackson was far too curious and attentive.

"If you're interested in the tea about Bambam, you need to talk."

"You know I can live well without that tea?"

Jackson kept on whining and Wooyoung kept on dodging. He would tell Jackson everything and more but not with his fears in the house listening to every syllable. Jackson would really be his undoing if he kept talking.

He had to silence him.


	13. Warning

It obviously wasn't easy for Wooyoung to juggle Jackson and his childhood fears. Jackson had whimperingly insisted on sleeping in Wooyoung's room and it was far too disturbing to know that San was lying under the bed watching Jackson while the other man was sleeping unsuspectingly. Jackson had also had a great laugh the next morning about how the wooden doll had ended up in the fridge, no, how did something like that happen? Wooyoung was overwhelmed and his birthday was still a whole week away.

Wooyoung found his few free minutes without a Jackson yakking like a waterfall on his arm in the hours the man spent in the bathtub every day. With a yellow squeaky duck, bath bombs and music - he always needed the perfect atmosphere and didn't let anyone disturb him.

Wooyoung used these brief moments of respite to check on his boys. Seonghwa eavesdropped on them every possible second and Hongjoong also seemed more relaxed than before, the many silly childhood memories Jackson had brought up about the small and naive Wooyoung seemed to have helped. While San was offended, the rest seemed quite untouched, they just spent their time together and Jongho's head was meanwhile held on his shoulders by a slippery pile of liquid glue.

Jackson had been with Wooyoung for two days and had just been in the bathtub again when the doorbell rang.

Still half asleep and with sand in his eyes, Wooyoung lifted his head numbly, looking for a watch. He sat shoulder to shoulder with San in the kitchen, San with his head softly snuggled against Wooyoung's neck and Shiber in his arms, Wooyoung himself with a cup of hot chocolate and a thick turtleneck.

The ringing startled San - it was 7:25 am, by the way - and with big eyes the man looked around, searching stunnedly for the source of the noise. Cute.

Someone also cleared their throat quietly by the door and both men looked confused at Seonghwa - also wearing a cuddly sweater - who just nodded at the entrance hall.

"It's Yongguk."

Yongguk? That was surprising.

Perplexed Wooyoung rose from his seat and began shuffling towards the door, San calmly taking Seonghwa's shoulder instead.

The vestibule was cool and upstairs Jackson's happy splashing could be heard as Wooyoung curiously opened the door, noticing Hongjoong's stable presence by his side as a cold wind whirled colorful leaves into his apartment.

Outside the fog hung thick between the trees, cold dew still wetting the spider webs on the porch and Yongguk's curls fell softly into his forehead as he made eye contact with Hongjoong for a split second.

Wooyoung blinked, looking around confusedly between them both.

"Good morning, Wooyoung-ah.", his deep voice, however, then penetrated harshly through the decay of autumn and when Wooyoung turned his eyes towards Yongguk, Wooyoung trembled in the icy breeze, motioning at the man to hurry in.

"Morning, hyung. How can I help you? Tea? Coffee?"

"I must talk to you."

Yongguk was not coming in. He was still standing outside, the wind maliciously tugging at his long coat and swirling leaves around his epic figure.

Wooyoung looked up the stairs for a moment, towards the door behind which Jackson's gentle humming could be heard and pondered whether he wanted to leave him alone with his strange friends.

A sudden touch on his back tore him out of his thoughts and made him almost jump out of his skin. He thought he saw Yongguk's gaze wandering to Hongjoong again, then Hongjoong's warm breath came to his ear again as he whispered as if someone could hear him.

"It's alright. We'll take care of Jackson.", he muttered sounding quite worried and confused himself. Wooyoung turned around but he was already gone. Shrugging, Wooyoung grabbed his own coat and cap, then stepped outside to Yongguk.

"I have a visitor at the moment, sorry, I will probably have to leave soon," Wooyoung started easily but Yongguk's eyes were just gliding through the treetops, searching, suspicious.

"We have a problem, Wooyoung-ah."

Yongguk walked with firm steps ahead, further away from his own home and the lake, deeper into the woods, while continuing to look around attentively, not dropping his shoulders for a second.

"What's wrong?"

Wooyoung followed confusedly, also looking for the unknown evil though less hunted than Yongguk.

"Your friends, have they been behaving strangely lately?" Yongguk then asked in a subdued manner, walking close enough to Wooyoung so that their shoulders were sliding closer together with every step. Dark eyes searched the autumnal forest restlessly.

"I mean, I haven't known them for very long or particularly well... But I haven't noticed anything too strange. Well, except maybe..." Wooyoung blushed deeply at the memory, searching for the right words.

"But that was just a gimmick. Nothing of any importance. Why do you ask?"

"I don't have much time, I have to go home as soon as possible too but listen to me, Wooyoung-ah. Should they ever... behave strangely, you must leave. No ifs, ands, or buts. If it's even just one guy, then... just go, okay?" Yongguk had stopped, searching Wooyoung's eyes very seriously and Wooyoung shivered when he stopped. Yongguk's eyes were like a dark lake, the surface smooth and with swirling currents underneath, a cold determination shining through.

"What does strange mean?", Wooyoung whispered back, no bird was singing and he did not want to disturb the peace of the forest, the mood so ominous through Yongguk's words.

"Everything. Anything that doesn't fit their character, anything that sounds an alarm. I know you don't know them well but you might be in danger."

Wooyoung just raised a confused brow as Yongguk's head whipped around at once, as if he had heard something hidden from others.

"I must go. Wooyoung, please... You can do it. Listen to your head."

With that, he disappeared with an abrupt turn, more or less running back to his house. With an unpleasant knot in his stomach Wooyoung looked after him, still toying with the idea of following, but Jackson had priority. Jackson and everything that was going on in his house.

The steps back seemed harder and more decisive than those away from the house and in astonishment Wooyoung wiped his shoes back inside, listening for a moment to Jackson's happy singing.

San sat on the bottom step of the stairs and when Wooyoung entered, his face lit up and he jumped happily towards the other to help him out of his coat.

"Come on, Woo, let's play something while your friend is away.", he shouted happily to him in his sweet voice but Wooyoung was too distracted by Yongguk's rushed expression and without paying any further attention, he shook San away from his arm in an absent-minded manner.

"Not at the moment. I must speak to Hongjoong."

San fell silent as Wooyoung left determinedly, finding the man in the kitchen with Seonghwa. The two seemed to have been in the middle of an important conversation and their hands were loosely interlocked on the table. When Wooyoung entered they retreated shyly but Wooyoung ignored this discovery.

"Yongguk just told me that I have to leave the house if you get strange. Explain yourself. You were quite affectionate a few nights ago."

The two exchanged glances before Seonghwa, sighing, leaned back and folded his arms behind his head. Waiting, he stared at Hongjoong, who only sighed with a beaten huff and turned reservedly towards Wooyoung.

"Apart from an obvious interest in you - you're something like our god what did you expect - didn't you come up with that yet?"

He didn't even expect the first part.

"Wait, what?"

Seonghwa rolled his eyes benignly, but Hongjoong looked rather annoyed.

"Please... Shouldn't it make sense that we're all attracted to our caregiver? Good morning, Wooyoung." A sarcastic smile played around the corners of his mouth, making him look more like a little devil with his red hair. Wooyoung still digested the thought that even Hongjoong was attracted to him, that such a pretty person like Seonghwa found something in him.

"Apart from that there is another reason but we surely won't tell you that if you have overlooked it so far. Go ahead. Get to know everyone better. We'll let you know if we find anything strange."

He left no room for discussion, and somewhat perplexed Wooyoung stood in the kitchen, helplessly gazing at Seonghwa.

Too much at once.

Seonghwa's smile was gentle, patient.

"Come on, invite Jackson to a slumber party in the living room. Let's snuggle up and learn more about each other."

Yes, great. That was what they were going to do.


	14. Stress come on

For the fact that Wooyoung had been worried for so long that he would never get used to his gang of strange roommates, everything still seemed pretty domestic that evening. Even though Jackson was looking at a much emptier room than Wooyoung himself, both had their fun.

Jackson and Wooyoung had made themselves comfortable with a pile of blankets and pillows from all over the house in front of the fireplace, various snacks spread around them and a long forgotten collection of epic anime music played on Wooyoung's laptop. Jackson was restless and noisy, hardly anyone to chat with peacefully, but luckily Wooyoung felt the same and the louder parts of Ateez joined in.

"Give me a break, man! You really just left him standing there? Your own father? Wow!"

Wooyoung aimed with a peanut, hitting Jackson's open mouth and the closest fears erupted into loud cheering, a high 'Okay!' the loudest of them all.

"Sure I did. But don't copy this at home, Puppy. Your parents are golden."

Jackson nodded very seriously for a moment, but then a big grin broke out on his lips.

"Okay, now tell me about your guy! Come oooooon, I am dying of curiosity!" He batted his eyelashes sweetly and slid a little closer to Wooyoung to lie pressed against him side by side, pouting right into his face. Wooyoung blushingly lowered his head onto his arms, avoiding all the curious and approving voices in the room.

"What makes you think it could be a guy, I could have met Suji again," he tried to defend himself weakly, hearing Jongho snort contemptuously across the room.

"Sure, just like Seonghwa's not totally wrapped around Hongjoong's finger, absolutely."

Giggles erupted among their rows while Seonghwa merely raised a challenging eyebrow, nodding nicely at Jongho's head, which was about aligned with his body resting on a pillow.

"If you want to keep this, you will be silent. You are too young to understand."

"Suji? Really?! I mean, man, I'd be so happy for you, but doesn't she have that... what's his name... that dancer guy, you know. Dated him?" Jackson mused next to him, staring aimlessly into the air and Wooyoung gave a loud 'ahh' after a few seconds of thinking.

"Right, you mean Jimin. I don't know if he even lives here anymore... The people in town never mentioned him."

A brief silence fell in which Jongho mumbled only under his breath and San snuggled up tighter in his blankets, his eyes constantly on Wooyoung.

"Anyway, you would have just told me about Suji, but your silence speaks volumes. Come on, tell me! Is he new here? Ohh, wait! The guy on the other side of the lake? Damn, Wooyoungie, if it's him, you have my blessing, I totally understand!" Jackson was just getting going and crawled even closer to him, by now glued lengthwise to Wooyoung's right side.

"Tell me! You can trust me!"

"Does anyone remember Wooyoung saying the same thing to Yongguk back then and five minutes later he slipped off the riverbank in shock and fell into the lake?", Yunho interrupted his quiet conversation with Yeosang and amused hums answered him.

"Was that the same day you accidentally touched the wrong thing in the lake?" Yeosang turned to Mingi with a grin and he hid his face behind his hands, imitating Woyoung who was listening to them with glowing ears.

"I still regret..."

"No, but the day Yunho was thinking about giving him a sign to eat more solid food somehow, because his bowels definitely didn't feel well that day," Seonghwa commented dryly and Wooyoung began to regret every single second of his life.

"His ears are nearly as red as my hair.", Hongjoong also watched fascinated, Jackson's whining had become a background noise.

"A trait Suji always found very sweet.", it came dryly from Jongho's general direction and Wooyoung tried to quietly suffocate himself in his blanket.

"Ohhhh, speaking of Suji! San, why don't you tell us the scoop that was their first kiss?" The words had barely left Seonghwa's mouth, then Wooyoung's head snapped up and he crossed panicked glances with an evilly grinning San. Yunho and Mingi joined into Hongjoong's jeering, Jongho sat up briefly to turn his head neatly in San's direction and then wrongly laid back underneath it on his back.

"Okay, where do I start?" San already took a dramatic breath, Wooyoung turned hastily towards Jackson.

"Okay, fine! I'll tell you, just stop whining!" That applied to all of them.

Jackson fell silent immediately and laid down neatly, waiting with shining eyes. The rest of the boys also became quieter, whispering only here and there.

"Well, it's not Yongguk."

Quick, he needed something. Wooyoung didn't even have someone to consider at the moment, only these knowing questions from Jackson always tended to embarrass him. And now he had to say something because otherwise Jackson would not let up.

"Uhh, he, he doesn't really live here permanently. He's just visiting his family for a while.", he lied quickly, while the fears listened amusedly, Seonghwa looking the most amused. Jackson was hanging on his lips, having quickly forgotten Yongguk in disappointment.

"We-- uh... We met when I was doing my memorial tour of the city. You know, at the very beginning."

Jackson nodded eagerly, Yeosang resting his chin on one hand with a fine smile at the corners of his mouth.

"And, uhh... I mean, he's great, but I don't think it's going to work out," Wooyoung tried to save himself quickly, running out of ideas, but Jackson was unfortunately the man he was.

"What's his name, what does he look like, do you know the family, what did he say, come ooooooon! I need all the details!"

Seeking help, Wooyoung looked into his very smug round and it was Seonghwa who, with a barely perceptible nod of his head towards San, gave Wooyoung the brilliant idea.

"His name is San.", sighed Wooyoung with a beated groan.

Jackson squeaked excitedly, nodded eagerly. The fears, on the other hand, just grinned quickly at each other, surrounding San to take him into their cuddly midst. Wooyoung tried not to look at the man, he had to apologize later.

"He, uhh, he has quite white bleached hair, if you saw him, you would surely notice him. He's not as tall as you'd expect him to be."

Mingi chuckled and knocked an elbow into San's ribs, while Jongho was astonished when he whispered 'Hongjoong' in understanding. Wooyoung continued, more confident in his words.

"He has dimples.", he added randomly, and Jackson dramatically grabbed at his heart. Patting it Wooyoung's hand where it was only half embedded under his cheek like an annoying aunt.

"A pretty boy, huh? How cute. But hey, why not?!"

A bad question, very bad.

It might have had something to do with Seonghwa's constant teasing, maybe also with how much time he had spent with San so far. It might also have been the way the man treated him, full of devotion and loyalty. Because suddenly Wooyoung asked himself this question too.

And Wooyoung made the mistake to meet San's gaze.

The man himself must have blushed a bit beforehand, a soft pink still coloring his cheeks and making Wooyoung's heart do a bold skip. He looked so ravishing between his blankets and pillows, Yunho's much larger figure nestled warmly around him and Yeosang's head leaning against his other shoulder. His eyes were wide and waiting, as if he feared the answer to the question himself and Wooyoung was quite sure that he had held his breath also.

A tense silence spread throughout the room, making the tension almost tangible and Wooyoung needed an answer. Right now.

"Uhh..."

Very good, keep going!

San uncertainly bit his lip and Wooyoung knew that he was staring too tensely in his direction, that Jackson would be confused, but he couldn't look away either, couldn't think, it was all too tiring.

"I mean, did he say anything about that? That he's not dating men or you're nothing to him or anything?" Wooyoung registered half of Jackson's helping words, the other's voice had become gentle, inquiring.

Wooyoung and San were still staring at each other, barely three metres away, and it was so hard to read San's face, so impossible to fall deeper into his dark eyes behind his hair, which was parted in half.

"N-no, not exactly."

"Then what makes you think it's not gonna work?"

Wooyoung would never have thought of dating the monster under his bed, but there he was, that strange thought and it scared him that it sounded so attractive.

Now don't say anything wrong, don't panic. He had hurt San too many times to become hysterical now.

"We know each other barely, and I don't know how long he plans to stay. It'll probably fall apart because we don't spend enough time together."

There it was.

An obvious lie, and the way Sans lips parted in surprise was an absolute sign that he had understood. There was no direct reason for Wooyoung not to date him, but heavens, it would take time for Wooyoung to come to terms with that thought.

Jackson, on the other hand, sat down on his knees and hastily began to look around the room.

"No, no, we can do this! Do you have something to write on? All we have to do is come up with a good plan, then he'll have a reason for you to stay! Come on!"

Wooyoung had to turn away to take care of Jackson and as his gaze wandered across Hongjoong, the man wore the warmest and most loving smile Wooyoung had ever seen in his life.


	15. Sweet Dreams

Jackson was busy selecting a film for the two of them on his laptop when Wooyoung decided to get some more drinks from the kitchen, thus breaking away from their cuddly circle. Mingi had been tired from romping around with Yunho and had fallen asleep with his head on the back of his bigger friend, snoring softly. Jongho, too, had already curled up like a baby - in fact, sometime in the evening Wooyoung had realized that the man always just slept sitting down while he frightened him at night, very charming.

San's eyes kept falling shut as he tried to watch Wooyoung non-stop, his head resting on Mingi's legs while Yeosang drummed thoughtlessly with his fingers on his stomach. Hongjoong, on the other hand, laid cuddled by Seonghwa's side, the blond still awake and stroking the other's hair affectionately. Wooyoung had watched them longingly for a long time, not expecting to see Hongjoong so relaxed and vulnerable ever again.

Jackson himself was still quite awake but at least calm enough for the others to have their peace and quiet and Wooyoung regretted having to move out of her warm nest the minute his bare feet touched cold wood. With burning eyes he trudged into the kitchen and began to search the fridge, barely flinching when Seonghwa leaned elegantly beside him against the counter, his arms crossed in front of his chest, waiting.

"Huh? You need anything?"

"You still don't get it, right? Even now... you've gotten closer, but haven't reached your goal yet. But today you did everything right."

Wooyoung blinked confusedly when Seonghwa's hand found his hair, ruffling brotherly. The man smiled gently, then nodded towards the door.

"Do you want me to send San to you?"

"Um, probably not after Yunho told everyone in great detail what my shower routine looks like"

Seonghwa laughed, but Wooyoung could not deny how his heart was beating a little faster at that idea. He did not dare to at the moment, did npt know where it would lead if he was alone with San.

"You should talk in peace tomorrow. While Jackson is sitting in the bathtub.", the older boy suggested diplomatically and Wooyoung just nodded with a delay, already thinking about embracing San to test if he was really about to fall for the man.

"... and Yunho is watching him.", Seonghwa then added with a frown and Wooyoung pulled a face, trying not to hear that.

"What, you knew we know and see everything." The way he suggestively wagged his eyebrows showed that he clearly spent too much time with Hongjoong and Wooyoung buried his heated face in his hands.

"But why do you still remember so much?! I know you have nothing else to do, but still... Why does Yeosang remember the last time I wet my bed when I was eight? And Grandma confiscated the good sheets until she was sure I had outgrown that?"

Seonghwa just raised his shoulders, smiling, and then turned to leave.

"I'll take Hongjoong upstairs. You watch your back if you want to sleep down here."

Unfortunately, Wooyoung was not Jongho and didn't have a bold fact to deadpan, so he just nodded silently and grabbed the juice to follow Seonghwa (they had decided on collectively open doors in the house except for Wooyoung's room and the bathroom).

Jackson had fallen face-first onto the laptop keyboard and was snoring loudly on the keys, the cursor twitching shakily across the screen every now and then. Wooyoung put the juice down on the chest of drawers with a snort and rubbed his eyes tiredly while Seonghwa picked up Hongjoong, allowing the man to cuddle into his chest with a murmur.

No sooner than they had left, Wooyoung gently swapped the laptop with a pillow and turned out the lights, trudging towards his camp in the dark. San had disappeared, presumably wandered under Wooyoung's bed and with a sigh, Wooyoung made himself comfortable at Jackson's side. Surrounded by the familiar scent of the other man, he fell asleep.

-

He could find no actual sleep.

About two hours went by during which he just rolled around by Jackson's side, trying to fall asleep, getting into tightly clutching hugs from the other man every now and then. The rest of the room slept calmly and after far too long Wooyoung finally gave up and grabbed his blanket and a pillow to sneak up the stairs.

Soft voices could be heard in his grandparents' room, Hongjoong's throaty murmur soft and Seonghwa's deeper voice heavy with his accent. Wooyoung passed them on quiet soles, blanket and pillow almost too much for his clumsy grip and gently pushed the door handle to his room down with his elbow.

The soft light from San's string of lights seemed warm from under the bed and the picture would have been harmonious if there had not been sounding heavy breathing and random knocking on wood.

Oh.

For a long moment, Wooyoung stood frozen, his head blank, imagining way too many inappropriate scenarios in his head that made his ears glow and told him to leave the room immediately.

Don't think about it, just don't think into that direction, Wooyoung, don't.

Another high whimper interrupted every possible thought and uncertain Wooyoung looked back and forth between the bed and the corridor, pondering what he should do. Perplexed, he bit his lip.

Another sound crept sweetly out from under the bed and Wooyoung decided to be spontaneous, to check before leaving a potentially injured San alone, just because his lonely head liked to exaggerate.

Carefully, Wooyoung approached to lay his things on the bed, making sure San could see his feet, but his irregular wheezing didn't stop. Something that sounded suspiciously like a head banged against wood.

Wooyoung held his breath as he carefully sank to his knees, tilting his head to peer under his bed.

San was... gorgeous enough that Wooyoung put his breathing to the side for now.

He was wearing nothing on his torso - though his white top had been carelessly crumpled in a corner - and a thin layer of sweat glistened on his upper body. Bones and muscles drew fine curves and lines beneath his skin, smooth hills and valleys that Wooyoung wanted to explore with curious fingers.

San's otherwise gentle hands were restlessly cramped into the soft blanket beneath him, his head thrown back to accentuate his prominent jawline and adam's apple more. Wooyoung's big eyes glided across his open lips and the hair smoothly falling back, feeding his brain once again with quality images that were anything but appropriate.

The eyes of the other one were narrowly squeezed together and it took a few more moments of spellbound staring before Wooyoung finally had the idea that his friend might have a nightmare.

Okay, help.

"San?", he whispered far too softly to be generally audible and shied away from reaching out his hand to the other's hot skin.

A tortured cry penetrated the room and Wooyoung kicked himself inwardly before he lowered himself to his stomach and started breathing again in order to concentrate, crawling closer to the other.

"Hey, wake up, Sannie. Come on.", he said louder and shook the blond one gently by the shoulder, careful not to push him against the wood somewhere.

"San."

Wooyoung cringed as San suddeny grabbed his hand with a rough grip, nearly crushing his bones. Bottomless eyes flew open to stare into his direction for a moment and Wooyoung just hit his head on the bed when he tried to pull back in surprise.

San's lips just moved at first, whispering confusedly, then he blinked several times and finally focused on Wooyoung who was still wailing and rubbed his head, regretting his decision.

"Woo." The man's voice was deep and scratchy and in the next moment his hand loosened as well.

"Oh, oh no. Are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

It was far too easy to surrender to San's gently searching hands. He examined Wooyoung's head and fingers, even blowing on them gently where his own nails had dug too deep into Wooyoung's flesh.

"You were having a nightmare.", Wooyoung squeaked out unnecessarily when he somewhen found himself stretched out lengthwise at San's side with hardly any space between their bodies. Wooyoung's eyes slid over the curve of San's bony shoulder as San turned more into his direction, blocking almost all light. There wasn't even enough room for San's shoulders to lie on his side.

"Yes... Sorry if I scared you. I, uh... do not sleep well... alone."

Out of the corner of his eye, Wooyoung noted Shiber, who had served as San's pillow.

"Don't be sorry. I'm sure that-" Seonghwa had known exactly well when he went into the other room with Hongjoong. What game were they playing? Wooyoung fell silent, too tired to think much.

"Anyway. "Do you want... Do you want to join me on the bed? At least until you feel better! I hate sleeping alone in bed after nightmares...", he suggested in a very small voice and San smiled indulgently, knowing exactly what he was doing.

"I really can't sleep up there. Neither can you down here. It's uncomfortable."

Sighing, Wooyoung reached up on the cold bed and pulled his pillow down to lay his head on it, his arm underneath.

"Well, I can work with that, too. I'll keep you company until you go back to sleep. Tell me something, Sanie."

San's loving smile which put dimples in his cheeks even though it left his wondering eyes open, was the last thing Wooyoung saw before his eyelids slid shut.


	16. Mourning

It was Jackson's loud voice on a day he definitely should not have anyone to talk to that woke up Wooyoung. The loud shouting from downstairs confused him, making him flinch confusedly upwards as a first reflex.

His forehead immediately collided with the edge of the bed above him, his knee also hit the wood roughly from where he had been lying halfway under his bed. The impact of his head was at least secured by warm padding and when Wooyung opened his eyes grumbling, the first thing he discovered was a protective hand hovering over him. A tired sigh escaped his lips as he turned his head towards San, who had placed his cheek on one hand, watching the other closely.

Nothing happened for a long moment, the seconds ticked away as they stared into each other's eyes, then a blush crept into Wooyoung's face. Hastily, he turned his head back upwards. San also pulled back his hand, giggling, the spell broken. His hand fell down close to Wooyoung's own, barely touching their pinkies together.

"Don't look at me like that.", Wooyoung mumbled in a cracking morning voice, his tone too high for his taste even in the morning.

"How am I looking at you?"

Wooyoung had no meaningful answer to that this early.

It was quiet in the house for a short time, outside a few scattered birds were chirping and a strong wind was howling around the shutters, but inside it was warm, San at his side was warm.

"Sanie, about yesterday, I-"

Wooyoung's door flew open with enough force that it crashed noisily against the wall, reluctantly bouncing off it. Jackson stood in the room with wild hair and haunted eyes, panicking briefly while searching the room for Wooyoung and he did not hesitate when he spotted him on the floor.

"Wooyoungie, you have to come quickly, there are police dudes at the door.", he exclaimed, obviously totally agitated as he crossed the room and offered Wooyung a trembling hand. He looked up to him like a confused bunny, San noticed Wooyoung's second hand shaking by now too.

"Huh, the police? What's the matter? Ah, this could be a routine inspection of the lake. They just look like cops, hyung." Wooyoung spoke softly, allowing San's fingers to slip delicately between his, while Jackson helped him to his feet, taking his fear with him.

"No, Woo. They're cops. They're... They found Yongguk's body this morning."

The world froze over in that moment, covered with a thin layer of ice that protected and preserved it. So fragile. So brittle.

Wooyoung heard nothing for a moment, lost all sense of San's warm skin on him, and the cold hand that had gripped his heart squeezed relentlessly, blocking his every breath.

"W-What?" His voice sounded strange in his own ears.

San spoke softly to him, Wooyoung knew that he suddenly stood before him, had put a hand on the younger one's cheek and yet he saw right through him, all dead.

"He... He's dead?"

Jackson replied and Wooyoung saw his lips move, but that was it.

Yongguk was dead?

He had been rushed, restless and frightened, sure, but would he die so easily? It must have been an accident. Still. What, where, how, why?

Jackson pulled at his hand, San did too, but San did it more gently, leading him down the stairs like a precious treasure, to the still open front door where two men in black uniforms were standing.

They were the proof.

"Mister Jung?"

"Yes, Mr. Jung. That is me."

They came to a halt in front of the men, and Wooyoung saw from the corners of her eyes the rest of the fears sitting anxiously by their camp, watching everything closely. San's arms soothingly found Wooyoung's middle, gently pressing his own by now clad body against Wooyoung, protecting him.

"We must ask you some questions regarding the passing of Mr. Bang Yongguk. Are you alright with that?"

It was real. Real.

Oh God, what if he was accused of murder? He had not slept at Jackson's at the end. Jackson could not provide an alibi. What if he was falsely imprisoned and spent 50 years of his life behind bars until they declared him innocent? What if...

"Wooyoungie... Breathe."

Shaky, Wooyoung took a breath, not noticing how a worried Jackson had also put a hand on his arm, how both policemen looked like they were going to change their minds. San's chin laid pointy on his shoulder, his breath warm on Wooyoung's cheek. He could do this. Oxygen. Right.

"Please come in and excuse the mess."

Like a robot, Wooyoung marched ahead of them, San like a serious bodyguard with one arm around his center at his side. Jackson hurried after them and Hongjoong meanwhile shooed away the other fears, leaving them alone. Even Seonghwa had disappeared with Mingi.

Wooyoung somehow made it into the kitchen and immediately slumped heavily down on a chair, wallowing in the feeling of San crossing his arms over his chest from behind, warmly hugging his shoulders and keeping all the cold at bay. Jackson hurried around trembling all over, clumsily brewing tea. Hongjoong watched him tense.

"We are extremely sorry to have to bother you in the morning, sir. We're sorry for your loss."

Wooyoung's tongue felt furry in his mouth, everything was spinning. He felt sick.

"What happened?" It was a miracle they heard his whispering at all.

"He fell down a flight of stairs and sustained a fatal head injury. No doubt a tragic accident, we're just here for some data. If you can't remember, please let us know and we'll get back to you."

Wooyung looked at them for the first time.

The name tags on their chests identified them as Jung Hoseok and Min Yoongi. Hoseok was the taller of the two and also the one who had spoken most before. He actually seemed empathic himself and was gifted with the ability of calming people down. Yoongi on the other hand looked more composed, his eyes were calculating and cool. They complimented each other well.

After they all had clarified Jackson's presence and officially introduced themselves, the cross-examination began. They wanted to know when Wooyoung had last seen Yongguk and what exactly had happened. Every word was documented.

In the end, the two policemen asked Wooyoung to remain calm and keep his composure. The village was already agitated and shocked by the news, and being the closest neighbor, they advised Wooyoung to stay undercover for the time being.

The two left after finishing their tea, leaving Wooyoung with a mute Jackson and their contact card. Hongjoong leaned in the doorway with his eyes closed and his brows drawn together, San having kept Wooyoung close for all this time.

"Jackson I... I need a moment."

The other one had just nodded silently and snuck away quietly up to Wooyoung's grandparents' room, where he stayed for the time being.

San buried his face in Wooyoung's neck.

"Get some fresh air, Mingi can accompany you.", it was Hongjoong who finally pulled him out of his trance, and the redhead had barely opened his arms when San had already fled to them, being held like a baby. Wooyoung left them alone feeling empty and cold.

Mingi waited for him at the door and helped him silently and concentratedly into his coat, clumsily pressing a cap on Wooyoung's head. They both wore thin cloth gloves and Mingi took the liberty to reach for Wooyoung's hand as they left. Both allowed it, finding protection with the other.

"I talked to him a few days ago."

"He was restless, right? I heard."

Wooyoung stared at their feet as they walked, at the rotting leaves under his boots. Decay. Death...

"I don't know how... We sat there yesterday and laughed carelessly and meanwhile, he's... he-"

Wooyoung broke off when his throat tightened too much, hot tears springing into his eyes for the first time. The understanding came slowly, but it carried a stifling sadness with it.

Mingis thumb rubbed clumsily across his fingers.

"Wooyoung, I have something to tell you." Mingi's deep voice was familiar, so relaxing, but now rough with emotion and fear.

Wooyoung slowed his pace, coming to a deliberate halt until his boots - dirty with wet leaves and mud - stopped next to Mingi's. He raised his gaze hesitantly, finding Mingi's heavy eyes under his turquoise curls.

It was almost like the first day again. The two of them out here, both in shared grief and completely alone.

"It wasn't an accident, was it?"

Mingi bit his lip, but did not break eye contact, though his eyes seemed to turn gray, more shadowy with sadness.

"Among people... among humans, it still counts as an accident. When your own fear makes you stumble."

Only that was meant in the rhetorical sense of fear.

Here it meant something else.

"It, uh... His fears, you believe they..." He could not even finish. God, it was exactly what Yongguk had said. Wrongly scared once, even if just for fun, but the consequences...

Mingi swallowed hard, still holding Wooyoung's hand between them, and then took a deep breath to speak.

"His fear... All of them... They weren't themselves lately."

"What do you mean?"

Another icy breeze rushed between their legs, making coats flutter and Wooyoung instinctively take a step closer to Mingi to understand him. For a brief moment, only the man's lips moved, no sound could be heard, then he started again, finding Wooyoung's gaze once more.

"I believe his fears were responsible for his death. And it was no accident."

The ice cracked.


	17. Lost chances

San was protectively nestled around Wooyoung as soon as he had convened an emergency meeting in the living room. Jackson was still in the bathtub, turning leaving and letting Wooyoung mourn in peace or staying with him and providing mental support to and fro.

Wooyoung, on the other hand, was still too deeply affected, heavier still by the role of the fears in Yongguk's death than his death itself. It had never been an easy subject for Wooyoung, but Yongguk had always been closer to death than to life. That was probably also why Wooyoung did not lose his head completely, even though it hurt.

His head was lowered where he laid in San's arms and unpleasant shivers made him tremble since earlier. San held him closer, making eye contact with Seonghwa.

"Mingi, please summarize for everyone what you told me earlier.", the doll started quietly, one hand gliding lazily through Hongjoong's hair, where the redhead was leaning against his chest with his arms crossed.

"Alright. You all know how I knew those boys over there. San, you remember how Youngjae had a crush on you?"

San briefly pulled a face where his chin was resting on Wooyoung's tense shoulder. His soft sound was enough of an answer.

"Fine. In advance, Yongguk had five fears." Mingi glanced apologetically at Wooyoung while Hongjoong's softening eyes amusedly called him a sissy.

"What they stood for is irrelevant, but I will list the names. For the overview." Mingi looked serious, it did not suit him at all.

"Himchan was closest to Yongguk. Their relationship was not quite... Just that of a man and his fear."

Why were they all looking at San? Was there any connection between him and Himchan? God, please not. Wooyoung had just come to terms with his emotions.

"Daehyun and Youngjae were always chaotic, but never violent. Jongup is a bit weird, but he's a nice guy, I get along with him very well. Junhong always wanted to protect Yongguk, worshipped him like a god."

Thoughtfully, Wooyoung clasped his hands with those of San around his stomach. He had found a cozy place to sit in between the other's legs and now listened attentively to the so far harmless conversation.

Mingi rested his elbows on his knees, staring into the distance.

"It became strange ever since... I don't know, a week? Jongup seemed so tense, so easily irritated. He wouldn't tell me what was going on, only that they all had a fight." Mingi rubbed his cheeks tiredly before continuing.

"Afterwards, Yongguk came to see you, right? To warn you about us."

Wooyoung nodded anxiously, exchanging a sad look with Yeosang. He looked most composed of all, with his fingertips clenched together.

"That was the day after Himchan disappeared."

San gave a protesting sound, and Yunho and Jongho too made their disbelief audible.

"What even is this supposed to mean 'he's disappeared', he is bound to the house.", Wooyoung also entered the confusion with an unpleasant rummage in his stomach, finding no connection at all.

Mingi stared grimly at the ground between his feet, barely shaking his head.

"I don't know how it happened. But after Himchan, Junhong also disappeared. Jongup stopped hanging with me, but the energy over there became more and more negative. I think whatever led to all this has contributed to Yongguk being... gone."

"What does disappear mean, Mingi? As in... out of the house, or...?"

Hongjoong's eyes were upset, restless with worry and fear, but Mingi could only raise his shoulders in perplexity. His eyes shone suspiciously and his lips were red and swollen from repeated biting.

"I should go and take a look. Maybe I'll find some clues, maybe-"

"Wooyoung, you remember how he looked like he could see me?"

Wooyoung fell silent, recalling Yongguk's visit and him staring straight into Hongjoong's eyes. How he had searched the trees, as if there was something there that was not meant for a mortal's eye. He nodded, delayed.

"It doesn't have to mean anything... If he was closer to death than to life at the time, then... It makes sense. We can't really explain it naturally, something higher must be at work. It could have made the rules null and void.", Seonghwa summarized briefly, then searched for Wooyoung's gaze while waiting, too.

"If he warned you, it's something that could happen to us as well. As much as I hate it, you might actually need to go over there tomorrow and look for clues. You have nothing to fear, his fears died with him."

No one seemed convinced, but no objections were raised either. When Jongho silently took his head from his own lap and disappeared with heavy steps upwards, Seonghwa immediately dug himself out from under Hongjoong with a sigh to follow.

Hongjoong himself tiredly rubbed his face and then looked at them all one by one.

"Well, okay. We'll rest and think about it again tomorrow. Please keep an eye on each other. Anything suspicious goes straight to me." With that, he waddled away in his thick woolen socks, in the direction the other two had disappeared.

Yunho let himself sink onto the mattress with a sigh, curling himself up smaller than a man of his size could possibly be, and only closed his eyes restlessly when Mingi snuggled up to his side, humming.

Wooyoung watched them for a moment, his thoughts still with Yongguk and the gruesome image of his end that his head had made up. He only half noticed Yeosang also disappearing upstairs, leaving him and San alone on the couch.

San was warm. So familiar and cuddly, the shape of his hands by now familiar to Wooyoung.

"Let's go to bed, Woo.", he murmured softly at the other's ear, but made no attempt to move.

"I can't sleep."

"Then at least get some rest, huh? Come on."

San managed to arrange Wooyoung's body around without much trouble and finally pulled it back to his solid chest with a sigh when no life came into him.

Wooyoung now sat crosswise in his lap, his head buried in San's shoulder, while hot tears welled up in his eyes He tried to swallow down the lump in his throat.

"Shh, don't cry, baby. It's okay, we're here. I'll take care of you."

San's hugs were absolutely unconditional, he gave his all and it did not matter how tight he held Wooyoung, how uncomfortable Wooyoug's shoulder had to push into San's ribs. It was protection and safety.

With his left arm still trapped between their bodies, Wooyoung reached up with his right to wrap it around San's neck, successfully smothering his tears in the other's white shirt.

"Pay attention, I'll lift you up, okay? It's all right."

He was so careful as he took Wooyoung in his arms, holding him close to his own body. Wooyoung missed the meaningful look San exchanged with the two boys on the mattress. He preferred to give in to the gentle sway of San's footsteps as his body moved against his.

Wooyoung did not dare speak, first trying to get a grip on his tears again, controlling the stabbing pull on his heart.

They were up the stairs and in Wooyoung's room where San made an attempt to put Woooung on his bed at first but he was stubbornly stuck to San. A soft laugh filled the room as San put him down back into his lap instead, in front of the bed this time.

"Are you sure everything's going to work out with Jackson?"

"I don't think either of us wants to sleep alone."

That settled it and they sat there in a clammy silence, holding each other until the bathroom door opened outside and San crawled back under the bed. Wooyoung fell asleep back to back with San halfway under his bed, while Jackson was nestled close to his other side.

-

A soft cry woke Wooyoung even before the sun had crawled over the horizon.

For a moment, he laid disoriented and with his eyes wide open, trying to place his current location. Ah, Jackson's arm on his chest, San's trembling shoulders on his. Wooyoung was resting on his back and on the floor, all right.

It did not take a genius to distinguish Jackson's steady breathing from the suppressed sobs on his other side. San was crying. Wooyoung's heart burst with a clang in his chest as he threw Jackson's arm away from his body, carefully turning to face San to pull the other man into his arms as best he could.

"Sorry..." His voice was so small, so vulnerable and Wooyoung groped for his hand with a sigh, taking it in his to press against San's chest.

"What's wrong?

"I'm so afraid... to hurt you, Woo... What if I... If I..." His sobbing choked him.

Wooyoung felt coldness crawl up his limbs as he slid closer to San, pressing himself lengthwise against the curled up man.

"Don't, San. You won't. You won't hurt me. I trust you."

San fell silent abruptly, swallowing audibly and turning around after, paying attention to the narrow place. Not much could be seen in the dark, but the warm hand that reached for Wooyoung's face and the thumb that barely slid over his lips spoke inaudible words.

"Yongguk was right. If you notice anything about us, anything at all, please, please promise me you'll leave."

"San..."

"Please, Wooyoung. How can I- Please. For all of us."

"San, I won't leave you here if you're in danger."

"We're putting you in danger!" His voice became more desperate, pleading, and it stabbed Wooyoung's heart as if with red-hot knives, and yet he would not, he could not let go of the mindful and loving San.

"Please, Woo... My dream the other day... It was a man who reached out for me. He frightened me. I'm afraid for you."

"San." Wooyoung raised his hands determinedly to reach for the other's face in the dark, then unhappily switching on the lights when he could not find it.

San's eyes were red, his lips bit bloody and the worry had drawn deep lines on his face, still taking nothing of his beauty. Rather, the glint in his eyes, the vulnerability made him so much more breathtaking. Wooyoung searched for words for a moment.

"San, I'll look into this tomorrow. We will stay together and we will solve the problem together. No one is left behind."

San looked down at him with nothing but pain in his eyes before silently pulling him back into his arms, pressing a tender kiss on his hair.

Too much remained unsaid.


	18. Clues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please make sure you are able to read the cursive, if your android does not show it, try reading it on another browser or device~

It was Friday, November 22nd and Wooyoung had gently released himself from a still sleeping San, jumped over a motionless Jackson and hurried down the stairs. He wanted to get it over with quickly, be back already with hopefully good news when San woke up and kiss all the worry off his face. Full of determination he walked through the silent house and to his coat rack, wrapped himself warmly in his black coat.

Hongjoong stood with folded arms in the open door to Wooyoung's grandparents' room, watching the oblivious man darkly. He had been in favor of Mingi accompanying him and them talking about it again before, but he could understand the hurry all too well to lecture him.

Wooyoung let his keys slide into his pocket while he gently pulled the door shut behind him. The morning was cold, the mist still lying low over the lake, whispering mysteriously around the slender trunks of bare birch trees. Wooyoung buried his face in his collar as he set off.

Yongguk's house laid quiet as ever, untouched and peaceful at the other end of the lake, but knowing what had happened there made it seem unwelcoming, all gloomy and deadly.

Wooyoung would do it quickly. Go in, look for clues - maybe a diary or something, go out and go home. He wanted to cook some good food tonight, spend more time with Jackson and the others. Maybe even find an eloquent way to explain their presence to Jackson.

The nervousness dug his guts around, so Wooyoung kept himself in a good mood with a soft melody, only looking up again when he noticed a dark figure in front of Yongguk's house.

The man stood by the road that wound through the forest and up to the main road. He had put his head back to look up at the façade, puzzled. Wooyoung studied his features, a sharply cut face with full cheeks and lips and dark eyes and black hair - no one Wooyoung knew.

The man turned his head when Wooyoung was within earshot and smiled a somewhat distorted smile.

"Cold today, isn't it, Mister?"

Okay, probably not a relative of Yongguk or something either. A mere bystander?

Anyway, Wooyoung had been wondering for quite some time why Yongguk's family had not shown up yet. They probably would have paid him a visit after all this.

"Quite. What are you doing out so far out here so early?", Wooyoung remembered the smalltalk, coming to stand next to the man and looking at the house as well.

"I enjoy the fresh air." He nodded at the lake. "You live over there, right? I suppose you've heard about his tragic fate, haven't you?"

It was strange.

Wooyoung was obviously in his 20s, the man in front of him could not be much older than him. Was it not usual to be on a familiar terms with people of that age?

"Of course, yes. He was one of my closest friends."

The man gave him a sympathetic look.

"I heard it was suicide. Terrible, something like that. Sorry for your loss, Mister."

Wooyoung listened up.

Suicide, sure. A death caused by his own fears, brought to life by himself. You could look at it that way.

"Didn't the authorities say it was an accident?"

"Did they? I heard only rumors. I don't often come to this place.", he saved himself skillfully, but Wooyoung was already suspicious. Determined, he reached out his hand.

"Jung Wooyoung."

"Park Jinyoung. I'm here to visit an old friend." His smile was honest as he shook Wooyoung's hand and confused Wooyoung just nodded.

"Shall I walk you in?"

By now his jaw dropped. Had he been that obvious?

He stared at Jinyoung dumbstruck and the man giggled softly, nodding his head towards the house.

"I am his lawyer. In his will, he allowed a Mr. Jung Wooyoung from the close neighborhood to enter his home. It's a small world, isn't it? I was just on my way in, if I may."

He lied.

Wooyoung immediately took a cautious step back, pretending to have a look at his home. Behind the scenes of his calm exterior, his thoughts raced panickingly, searching for possible escape routes.

If he was indeed Yongguk's lawyer, he would have paid Wooyoung a visit long ago. That, and he would know about the police's prognosis. This guy did not belong here and was certainly no acquaintance of Yongguk's.

Wooyoung could either run off in a hurry or he could investigate this man. In any case, he wasnot the killer, so what exactly motivated him?

Swallowing, he pulled out his cell phone and already dialed ahead - the real police - then he looked up to Jinyoung again, smiling.

"How convenient, indeed. Sure, let's go." He kept the cell phone upside down in his hand, his finger always hovering over the green symbol.

Jinyoung went ahead contentedly and at least he actually pulled out a key to open the door. Inside, everything was quiet and cool, the electricity and heating already turned off.

It remained silent between them as Jinyoung pulled out his own phone and turned on the flashlight. Only dim light fell through the clouds and the sparse windows, not enough to see much.

"Would you like to see the scene? I have to go down anyway to see for myself."

Did he know that his explanation was full of gaps? Wooyoung did not know anything about lawyers, but everything he said sounded so fishy.

"No, I'm sensitive... I think I'll just... wander. And reminisce."

Jinyoung nodded sympathetically and walked away towards the basement while Wooyoung hurried to run into Yongguk's room to check everything for notes. If the lawyer had indeed not been here before and they had written it off as an accident, they probably did not have to confiscate anything. He hoped so.

It did not take long before Wooyoung already had one of Yongguk's diaries in his hand, the most recent one from the bedside table.

The crumpled and wrinkled pages groaned under Wooyoung's fingers as he shakily turned the pages, looking for the most recent entries.

They were confusing, no neat texts as before, but only individual sentences scattered randomly over the pages, written hastily and almost illegibly. No date.

𝒟𝒶𝑒𝒽𝓎𝓊𝓃 𝒶𝓇𝑔𝓊𝑒𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒥𝓊𝓃𝓃𝒾𝑒.

𝐻𝒾𝓂𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒾𝓈 𝑔𝑜𝓃𝑒.

𝒟𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒶𝒻𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓀𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈, 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽, 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒. 𝐵𝑒 𝒶𝒻𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝒻𝑒𝒶𝓇. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒹𝑜 𝓉𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊.

𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝒽𝒾𝓂 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔.

𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒.

𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒽𝒾𝓂.

𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒'𝓈 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒.

𝐼 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓃 𝒲𝑜𝑜𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔.

𝒯𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝑔𝑜.

𝒥𝑜𝓃𝑔𝓊𝓅 𝒶𝓉𝓉𝒶𝒸𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔𝒿𝒶𝑒.

𝑀𝑜𝓇𝒻𝓇𝑒𝓎.

𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝐼 𝑔𝑜?

𝐻𝒾𝓂𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝒹𝒶𝓎.

𝐼 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝓃'𝓉 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃'𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑒.

𝒲𝑜𝑜𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓃𝑒𝒹. 𝒥𝓊𝓃𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝑔𝑜𝓃𝑒.

𝐻𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒽𝒾𝓂.

𝐼'𝓂 𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓇𝑒𝒹.

𝐼'𝓂 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔.

𝐵𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒽𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝓉𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂...

𝒮𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑒.

𝐻𝑒'𝓈 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇.

𝒲𝑜𝑜𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔...

𝒞𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈. 𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊?

𝐿𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝑒, 𝑀𝑜𝓇𝒻𝓇𝑒𝓎.

𝐼'𝓂 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂.

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝒾𝓇𝓈...

Wooyoung's hands trembled like leaves as he carefully closed the book, put it back in place.

Breathe.

Whatever had happened here during those days sounded like much more than mere paranoia and mental instability. He had fought and lost. And this despite the close connection to his fears.

And he would have lived if he had left them behind.

Wooyoung felt reminded of the conversation with San the night before, and little seeds of doubt crept up inside him, questioning his decision.

Jinyoung's voice tore him out of his thoughts.

"How's it going? Found any interesting memories?"

He stood in the doorway for who knew how long already and now had his eyes on Wooyoung, seemed to read him like an open book.

"Yes, uh... Yes. We used to play here with his dog."

Where was his dog?

"Where, uh... Did the little guy run away?"

"No, they found him by the body, safe and sound. His family can pick him up at the police station."

Good, that was good.

"Seemed pretty scared, the puppy. Like he saw something bad."

"Bad enough to upset a dog?"

"I guess it was enough. Are you done here? I have to go, otherwise I'd just leave you the key."

Wooyoung shook his head quickly, passed him and stepped out the door towards the exit.

"It's painful to be here... I'll probably stay away. Please contact me anytime if you need me."

Jinyoung locked up behind them again, nodding peacefully.

"Of course. Have a nice day." He already turned to leave when Wooyoung held him back once more, his voice cautious.

"Did you... find anything down there? Something that doesn't belong there?"

Jinyoung curiously turned to him, tilted his head in a questioning gesture.

"Like what?"

Wooyoung breathed out restlessly. Of course he did not. Something here was targeting the fears but it was not here anymore and it was even less visible.

"Nothing, nevermind. Have a nice rest of your day." Abruptly he turned around and was already several meters away when Jinyoung called out for him again.

"If you are afraid, Mister Jung... Remember not to let it control you. It feeds on it."

That was it, he left.

Feeding.

𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝒽𝒾𝓂 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔.

Wooyoung shivered as he looked after Jinyoung, his eyes wide and full of questions.

𝑀𝑜𝓇𝒻𝓇𝑒𝓎.


	19. Blushing Faces

When Wooyoung burst through the front door breathless and confused with a pile of confusing information that were muddled like the roots of an old tree, he had already forgotten again that he had left without the direct knowledge of the others earlier.

After all, he had hurried enough for Jackson to be asleep, but concerning the rest of them it had not gone so well. So Wooyoung burst directly into a lot of tense fears, most notably Seonghwa, who had disapprovingly folded his arms in front of his chest.

San's eyes were moist and averted from Wooyoung, the otherwise happy man having found shelter in Yunho's bear-like embrace. Yunho himself looked less angry with Wooyoung than worried, and the boundless relief of seeing Wooyoung again in one piece was evident on his face.

Just behind the stern looking Seonghwa stood a sighing Hongjoong with narrowed brows, with a clearly nervous Mingi with bit open lips held by his hand. Yeosang and Jongho stood relatively calmly apart, but the two also showed clear signs of concern. Jongho was carrying an apple on his neck and his head in his hand today.

Uh-oh.

Wooyoung promptly became very small as soon as he stepped inside and embarrassedly closed the door behind him to face his fate.

"I have learned some really interesting things.", he started a half-hearted attempt at appeasement, only to be immediately stared down icily by Seonghwa.

"I'm sure you did. While you narrowly escaped possible death". Seonghwa's light and relaxed voice cut nastily into Wooyoung's conscience and wow, his floor was dirty, it was about time to clean it up again.

When no one moved, Wooyoung bravely plucked up courage again and stroked his hair back, then he looked at them all one by one.

"I know you are angry with me. I would do it again anyway, so I won't be truly sorry. I need your help to solve this mystery. Please..."

Hongjoong was the first to turn away in silence and leave.

Wooyoung watched worriedly as the others exchanged uncertain looks, then Mingi followed the redhead with a twinge of conscience in his eyes. The rest remained.

Wooyoung knew that he had really messed up. Mingi had been the one who should have accompanied him and thus had probably been on the receiving end of the anger of all the others. Hongjoong, on the other hand, had just begun to warm up to Wooyoung and already he had betrayed his trust.

His lower lip painfully protested against his nervously gnawing teeth, then his eyes found Seonghwa again.

"How can I..." He broke off beaten, then lowered his head in remorse.

To everyone's surprise, it was Yeosang who stepped forward confidently.

With silent steps, he approached Wooyoung to gently place a hand on his shoulder. He was warm as he half-hugged the other.

"We're glad you're alright."

It sounded so unemotional, so dry and yet it brought tears to Wooyoung's eyes. Someone stood beside him in this mess.

The anxiety and tension of the day collapsed around him, all the laboriously maintained walls crumbling. Wooyoung's face found the crook of Yeosang's neck as he swallowed and put his arms around the other's slender figure, seeking protection.

Yeosang stood still like a statue, just gently stroking Wooyoung's hair as he quivered and trembled, struggling not to burst into tears.

He had overestimated himself.

Quiet steps announced the departure of another person, and more coldness crept into Wooyoung's limbs.

Not them. If they left him, how could he do that? Morfrey, Yongguk, Jinyoung, who would stand by him?

It was at the exact moment when Wooyoung raised his head searching that two more pairs of arms found him and Yeosang, pressing them tightly together. Yunho's huge figure embraced them like a comforting blanket and San's contented sighing at Wooyoung's ear made up for Yeosang's strange expression.

"Are you okay?"

San's soft and cute voice made Wooyoung turn around in their heated embrace and bury his head defiantly in San's neck. The protective hand on his hip probably belonged to the man who now smiled softly, the dimples inviting on his face.

How could Wooyoung move in there? Could he pay the rent in kisses?

Kissing San. Did not sound like such a bad idea...

Wooyoung bumped Yunho rudely on the chin when he raised his head abruptly to stare thoughtfully and discreetly at San's lips, breaking the spell.

With a wailing Yunho, relieved that he was being let go Yeosang and a squeakily laughing San, they separated again. Wooyoung blushed when San's eyes found him while he was still staring at his laughing face and pretty lips like an idiot in love. San's grin became mischievous.

"Oh, Wooyoungie~"

"No."

One could certainly bake cookies on Wooyoung's face these days, but that was totally irrelevant.

"Okay, first your trip. Let's go to the kitchen." Yunho also hurried to Wooyoung's rescue and Yeosang nodded eagerly, giving another thumbs up.

Jongho was already in the kitchen when they entered it, crouching on the corner seat with his head and peacefully closed eyes. Seonghwa was here too and he was just placing a steaming cup on the empty table.

Wooyoung's heart pulled painfully in his chest as he grazed the blond man's understanding eyes.

San grabbed his hand and did not let go, even when they were both seated next to Jongho, Yunho and Yeosang on his other side. Seonghwa leaned comfortably against the sideboard, watching everything attentively.

Wooyoung sipped on his old and dearest Block B cup, only to be pleasantly surprised by the taste of chocolate on his lips. He looked up at Seonghwa in amazement, who merely winked at him wordlessly before pulling out a can of whipped cream behind his back and placing it in front of them.

Wooyoung felt so cuddled and at home as he had not felt in years and he was just too unstable right now, he could be crying again on the spot. His hands shakily found the warm cup.

But now back to serious business.

Jinyoung, and Yongguk's diary.

Wooyoung quietly started to tell them what happened at the other end of the lake, never forgetting even a detail that might seem unimportant. Seonghwa looked gloomy and with Wooyoung's story the contents of his cup also depleted a few minutes later. San's hand slipped back into his own naturally, holding it loosely on Wooyoung's thigh.

The room was shrouded in a tense silence and Wooyoung toyed with the idea of investing in a loud clock, just to avoid this in the future.

There was a crackling sound that was completely out of tune with the atmosphere and woke everyone up.

For a moment, Wooyoung feared something bad had happened as he looked around searching for head injuries and the like and also San's grip on him seemed to be terrified.

"Oh wow, did anyone see that? Please tell me someone saw that!"

Confused, they looked at Jongho, who was now holding the apple in one hand. Or rather what was left of the apple.

He had crushed the fruit in his hand and sweet juice was dripping everywhere, his head looked absolutely thrilled from the table. His big eyes looked so childlike.

"So?"

Wooyoung shook his head helplessly, slipping away from San, who had also instinctively bent in his direction.

Jongho sulked while the rest of the group brooded again.

"Now what?"

Seonghwa kept staring at the ground with his thick eyebrows, looking like an Angry Bird in attack position. Yeosang was ignored.

"We could let Eden-hyung know?", San suggested very quietly and cautiously, and Wooyoung just turned to him to inquire about that when the ajar door swung open ominously.

In the doorway and with his eyes closed and arms crossed, Hongjoong leaned. He had changed his outward appearance, his hair was longer and hung down his neck in a dirty brown-blond. He wore a black uniform, silver chains and zippers crossed randomly over his body.

On his fingers dangled not only a black hat but also a black face mask and when he spoke his voice was serious and scratchy.

"Done."

His eyes were still the same, dark and flaming, when they met the Wooyoung's.

"We must hurry."

Wooyoung sat there with his lips open like a fish for a moment, then quickly recovered and confidently squeezed Sans hand.

"Okay, sir!"

Hongjoong's smile was soft, giving his face something so tender and vulnerable again.

"Hyung."


	20. Deep in my heart

"What is an Eden?"

"He is... What would you call that... A concept?" Seonghwa looked to Hongjoong for help, who merely shrugged at a loss.

"Something like a concept. You may have noticed that there is a certain hierarchy among us. There are fears appprehended by many people all over the world and also more rare, special fears." With a benevolent smile, Seonghwa looked up at Yeosang, who then blushingly buried his face in Yunho's shoulder.

"Eden is not a fear per se. More like action of growing up. The rational voice in your head that teaches you not to fear frivolities. Maybe just common sense. If anyone knows about fears, it's him.", Hongjoong continued and, lost in thought, Wooyoung began stroking circles across the back of San's hand.

Common sense? Then was he not also one who grew up and developed with the children as well? The one who, in his ignorance, gave birth to fears and later made them fade away again?

Something like the rule book.

It would help to ask him for sure. That was what Wooyoung thought.

"Obviously he already knows about what happened over there. He might be working on a solution. The sooner we contact him, the better."

Hongjoong looked serious, but his gaze wandered to Wooyoung and San, who continued to sit shoulder-to-shoulder and thigh-to-thigh.

"You two should talk it over first. I hate to give you an ultimatum, but the way it went over there, should never happen here also. Away with you."

Seonghwa for a moment looked as if he was going to object, but in the end, he left it at that.

Wooyoung was no fool. He had noticed a long time ago that San treated him differently, that it was ot just because of his personality. However, he could not figure out how someone like San could possibly like him and he did not know the true extent of it.

So he kept silent while a blushing San pulled him up from the bench and walked him away through the corridor. While he was still following him, a thousand and one scenarios flashed through Wooyoung's mind, things to ask him, sentences to say. His heart started pounding faster with the frantic realization and his movements became more uncoordinated, one time he almost stumbled against San.

He had set a brisk pace and his now white-blonde curls successfully covered his current facial expression with their length.

Wooyoung bumped his hip on a dresser in the hallway.

Wooyoung's room was empty when they entered and San made sure the door was locked before he sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up at Wooyoung with gleaming eyes.

He almost broke out in a sweat.

"Uhh... I honestly have no idea what we're saying here exactly... At this point..."

Great start, what a stunner.

Wooyoung desperately buried his red face in his hands.

"I do, don't worry. I had years and enough nasty friends to plan it exactly.", San sighed dramatically and finally nodded trustingly to come closer.

Wooyoung sat cross-legged on the floor in front of him, wanting to be able to look at him directly.

San glanced briefly at the ceiling and, while Wooyoung studied the rise of his cheekbones, sorting himself out while looking at the curve of his lips and the sharp shadows under his jaw. His heart stopped beating a few times as San's eyes found him again, then it galloped on happily.

There was a faint smell of algae in here.

"So, Woo... And I hope you noticed, otherwise this is going to be embarrassing. I like you."

It would have been so easy to wave this off, to say that he liked everyone, that Wooyoung liked him too - all of them; but the way he said it, so serious and clear and in a deep voice, left no room for discussion.

Wooyoung swallowed hard, tugging at his socks.

"I- I noticed that, yes." Now it was his turn to blush again, but he held his ground and did not avoid San's deep eyes.

"Good. Woo, I liked you before you left here. I liked you more... than I should as your fear anyway."

That was a heavier rock in Wooyoung's stomach. He has been gone, what, for four years? San had liked him for over four years.

How could anyone like Wooyoung? What was there to like about Wooyoung? He was completely lost.

"Okay..."

He just could not find the right words.

San had to smile, a compassionate and warm smile that lifted some of the weight off Wooyoung's shoulders, and then he slowly slid down from the bed, kneeling in front of Wooyoung to take his hands in his own, timidly.

"I was afraid that when you came back you would be different... But I knew from the first scream that you were the exact same dolphin I'd known before."

Wooyoung kicked him weakly against the knee as best he could.

"Hey. It's not my fault that everyone in here is out to get me!"

"We are literally your fears, Wooyoung."

Wooyoung sighed and lowered his forehead against the bony shoulder in front of him, took a deep breath.

"I haven't been doing this as long as you have... At some point I realized that yes, I don't mind the thought, but it only came to me later how much I depend on your closeness in the meantime and love to listen to your voice." Wooyoung's voice broke with little elegance.

San laughed softly and brought a hand up to stroke his hair tenderly, letting purple strands glide softly through his fingers.

"Good to know, Woo."

It was when San's fingers coolly slid under his chin, gently urging him to raise his head, that Wooyoung slowly became aware again of the situation, the consequences of their conversation.

Their nervous glances crossed briefly, then it was San's eyes that first landed heavily on Wooyoung's lips. With their faces just inches apart, Wooyoung could almost feel the other's breath on his lips. Looking for support, he put one hand on San's thigh.

Oh help, he would kiss San. San would kiss him. Wikihow, how do you breathe?

"What now?" Wooyoung whispered excitedly, trying not to break the peaceful silence and San's hand slipped onto his nape, holding it gently while the second hand came up to mirror it too.

"Now I'll kiss you hard enough that you know exactly what you've been missing out on for the past six years."

Wait a minute, Wooyoung may have just lost his stomach on the floor. It was way too hot in there!

San had to hear his heart by now, so loud it had become as his voice mumbled deeply, so much this promise had got it going.

Wooyoung exhaled shakily, laughing almost hysterically.

"No, I meant... Will we be together then?"

San rolled his eyes, grabbing Wooyoung a little more firmly.

"Of course, silly. Now keep quiet."

Before Wooyoung was able to cast another wise saying, San's lips had already met his own and every other thought had been banished from his head.

It took Wooyoung a moment, he had not done this for far too long, but when his body remembered, he returned the gentle pressing of San's mouth, allowing his hand to find stability on San's shoulder.

A soft sound echoed between them as San, with his consent, found their balance and finally tilted his head to deepen the kiss - to make it a real kiss.

And oh God.

San kissed as if there was no tomorrow.

It could be the long time he had been waiting for. Maybe it was the heat of the moment. Or the longing in the face of an uncertain danger. But he was wild, deeper than any ocean. It hurt, his teeth utilized a little carelessly, but it made Wooyoung beg for more, leaning towards him, looking for stability.

San held Wooyoung close enough that he was barely able to move and Wooyoung soon forgot which way was up and which way was down, while the other explored his mouth, barely giving him a chance to respond.

As much as it made flames blaze and caused Wooyoung to press his body tightly against the other's, it was just as much simply San. Protecting and retrieving, no words needed.

So warm.

At some point Wooyoung had to let go of San's pressing lips to gasp for air. His body had completely forgotten how to live on the side and again their eyes crossed, San's dark with emotion and heat.

Wooyoung did not complain when they found each other again, again and again, and San kept pressing on, deeper and deeper, threatening to consume Wooyoung's whole being. Nothing counted anymore except the devotion in San's actions.

San had at some point straightened up and kissed down on Wooyoung in absolute control for a moment before pressing him backwards, pressing him down with gentle conviction. The moist gliding of lips and tongues sounded macabre in the room, but nobody could care less. Everything was San.

Wooyoung was dizzy, his body was singing in euphoria and at the same time his hands could do nothing but pull San closer to him, pressing the other's agile body against his.

A loud noise made them flinch away each other abruptly.

Wooyoung's eyes snapped open, the room seeming a bit fuzzy. He blinked, then ignored it.

It had been the door handle, the lock protesting against the pressure from outside and then Jackson's teasing voice.

"Oops, sorry Wooyoung!" His steps receded again.

Wooyoung wanted to catch his breath, wanted to laugh nervously but he could not.

Why could he not?

San's hands were around his neck and cut off all his oxygen.

He could not breathe.


	21. Deep in my soul

The room was already blurred enough when Wooyoung actually became aware of what was happening and when the survival instincts of his body finally kicked in, he managed to surprise San for a moment.

His knees went off first, kicking the other one far enough away from him that his grip at least loosened, even if it did not disappear completely.

Wooyoung gasped for air, feverishly searching for a way not to hurt San and save his life at the same time.

"San! San, listen to me, it's me!"

Had he not already known what had happened to Yongguk, Wooyoung would have been completely lost.

So he looked up in panic to San's tear-stained face, fighting weakly against the much stronger man. He had to concentrate.

"San, listen to me, I-" Wooyoung wanted to cough when the air left him again, San pressing with more bodyweight down on his neck.

"Woo, Woo...", the man cried no less desperately over him, hot tears dripping onto Wooyoung's lips, which had just passionately hit those of the other. He was conscious.

Wooyoung scratched and kicked desperately, trying to get the skilled man off him in a wild rebellion. His head emptied out more and more, with time his resistance became weaker again. He stood no chance.

Dark spots danced before his eyes.

"Woo! No, please stay with me! Wooyoung! Wooyoung!"

"San!"

The voice sounded as if through cotton wool, thick, fluffy cotton wool, into which Wooyoung wanted to sink, and he felt vaguely how his clasping fingers slipped off San's skin, how everything went dark, and-

The cold air that streamed into his lungs the next moment hurt, stabbed sharply. For a moment he was even more likely to lose consciousness because it was too much at once.

He coughed in panic, trying to breathe and not too much at the same time, and the next thing he noticed was the heavy weight disappearing from his body, multiple voices buzzing around confused.

There were careful hands supporting him and leaning him against a warm body, warm breath on his forehead.

The room gradually stopped spinning.

He was alive, Wooyoung was alive.

Wooyoung's senses returned to him only slowly and the first thing his body delivered was the loud, painful crying of San from another corner of the room. A new kind of panic filled him.

San needed his help!

Disorientated, Wooyoung looked around and found himself seated on Seonghwa's lap, the man's arms gently wrapped around him. It was Yunho and Jongho who relentlessly held San on the other side of the room, the man hanging in their arms, absolutely helpless.

Their eyes found each other and San's eyes were wide in panic and pain, so full of remorse.

"I- I didn't want this, Woo! I'm s-sorry, I'm so fucking sorry! Woo..."

"Woo..."

Seonghwa's hand found his hair, gently stroking through it, soothing the turmoil inside a little.

"It's okay, Wooyoung. Take it easy. You're safe. He can't kill you, he won't kill you. It's alright."

Right. That was right. San could not end his life. But he could hurt him.

The bitter crying of the man continued, even when the two boys released him carefully and San just collapsed helplessly on the floor, turning away to bury his face in his hands.

"I hate myself, how could I- How-" He sobbed and it broke Wooyoung's heart.

"It wasn't you, Sanie. It's alright. He's gone."

Wooyoung let Seonghwa help him up on his feet and uncertainly tested his balance, then nervously checked the open door.

"How did you get in here?"

"We edged Seonghwa under the door." Jongho's head looked sternly at them from the dresser.

Wooyoung just nodded confusedly, grimacing at the stabbing pain in his neck, and then hesistantly tried to catch San's eyes with his.

"San..."

"Don't. Stay away. I don't want to hurt you."

Wooyoung felt so powerless, so lost in what was happening, and he just wanted San to stop crying, wipe the tears from his pretty face and kiss a smile on his lips.

"Come, we must tell the others. And Wooyung, it's about time you tell Jackson or send him away for now."

With that, they all moved down into the living room, to a chilled and unsuspecting Jackson lying on the couch, with Yeosang by his side, watching intently between the Harry Potter movie and the arriving group.

San stayed as far away from Wooyoung as possible, hanging on to Jongho's arm for safety, and it hurt, but for the moment they had to sort something else out. After that Wooyoung had to get close to San again.

Hongjoong glanced at Wooyoung's neck for a long time, then started to speak in a gloomy voice, but a shadow at the window distracted them at first. Tensely they all looked around, a human shadow flashing by again.

Mingi scurried there and peered out strainedly, through the foggy soup and towards the lake.

"There is... a man. He waves at the house?"

Wooyoung blinked twice, then came closer, looking out as well.

It was Jinyoung.

"What is there?" Jackson asked from behind him in a good mood and Wooyoung met Jinyoung's gaze, ran immediately to get his jacket.

"Friend of mine, I'll be right back!"

The front door fell muffled behind him into the lock.

Jinyoung stood humming and with a fishing rod at the lake, giving an absolute picture of serenity, while Wooyoung came to a halt next to him, slithering over wet leaves.

He was still wearing his slippers. Hah.

"Jinyoung!"

"Oh, hi, Wooyoung! What a coincidence running into you here, huh? Shall we be on first name terms?"

"What's up, what are you doing here?"

"I came here because of the rumors! In the village they say there are fish in here that are as big as men. I'm trying to catch one. Hope you're not afraid of dark waters." He said it so simply, so recklessly but there it was again: the concept of fear.

And what was he wearing anyway, was that a doctor's coat?

Wooyoung looked out over the lake, all calm, all silent. No wind was blowing and no bird was singing. Everything was dead.

He had to check. He disguised himself with a cough.

"Eden."

Jinyoung politely turned his head, looking at him with flashing eyes.

"Who?"

Who, not what. Interesting. He did not think of the garden first like Wooyoung did.

"Eden, do you know him?"

Jinyoung broodingly reeled in his rod, the calm movements of his steady hands hypnotic.

"Eden-hyung retreated to the mountains. He tried to face his fear and lost."

Wooyoung's heart leapt in his chest because it made sense, Jinyoung knew, Jinyoung was pursuing a goal also.

Shuddering, he buried his hands in his coat pockets.

"His fear... What was he afraid of?

Then Jinyoung had to laugh softly, a lame sound, really just a soulless 'ha ha ha'. He tied up his fishing line.

"He was afraid of the concept of fear. Of fear itself. Nothing specific."

Afraid of fear. That sounded powerful. It sounded like something everybody did, subconsciously or knowingly. It sounded a lot more familiar than fear of dolls or a green sweater.

"So fear beat him... And Eden fled?"

"Into the mountains, yes."

Jinyoung's eyes wandered aimlessly over Wooyoung's home, the rumbling clouds above, and Wooyoung's probably already blue-spotted neck.

When he spoke next time he had lowered his head towards the ground and spoke so clearly that his words seemed to cut right through the cold air.

"I see you survived Morfrey's first attack well."

Wooyoung could not even say he was surprised. Yet his heart began to race. Nervously he bit his lips, unintentionally reminding his brain of San's kiss. He had to get back before anything else happened to them. He had to be with them, even if it put him in danger.

"You know him?"

"I've met him several times. Often too late, but often enough just when I needed to."

"And what was he like?"

"Hungry."

_Chewing._

It struck Wooyoung like lightning, suddenly he understood, suddenly all of Yongguk's thoughts made so much sense.

Morfrey fed on fear, he was fear itself, he needed smaller concepts to be strong. He ate them. That was why Himchan had disappeared, why chewing and Jinyoung's threatening words. He ate them. Icy showers crept down Wooyoung's back.

"Oh... And... Can you satisfy his hunger?"

Jinyoung sighed deeply, snuggled closer into his scarf.

"Well, I've chased him away several times by courage. What does it take to overcome your fear? Courage."

Wooyoung vibrated with excitement and worry, the solution so close.

"Can you do it again?"

Jinyoung just shrugged as if to say 'no problem'.

He had it. It was Jinyoung. That was why he suddenly showed up. No sooner had they decided to fight Morfrey than the concept of courage materialized. And he was here to help. To avert the heinous events.

"And do you know where he is now?" Wooyoung whispered in a barely audible whisper and then clenched both hands in fists, not wanting to hear the answer.

Jinyoung just nodded silently towards the house.

"San...?"

"Not San." Jinyoung smiled distortedly at him and then also surrendered by lowering his gaze.

"Jackson."


	22. Take my Hand

"Wait, what?"

Jinyoung just nodded cautiously and finally began to slowly walk towards the house.

"No, wait. Jackson?? My Jackson?" Wooyoung felt as if doused with cold water again and was starting to get really annoyed by these constant changes in information.

"Not exactly your Jackson. Your Jackson went to sleep about two or three days ago and is in the barn behind the house. That's Morfrey in there. He's wearing Jackson's face."

Wooyoung prayed that was not meant too literal.

Well, Jackson had been suspiciously quiet these last few days. The timing suggested that he had walked from Yongguk straight to Wooyoung's house to get an idea of the situation before he attacked. And that also meant that Jackson had seen the fears at that time. Or the one behind Jackson's face.

He could never possibly have expected that... Wooyoung gulped anxiously.

"Okay, so what can I do? How do I fight fear? Do I have to hurt Jackson?"

Jinyoung laughingly flicked his own hair, looking like an actor with his face and gown and he did not fit the concept at all, but who else of them still did that?

"You do nothing. One concept against another. You stay out here and wait until the coast is clear. I'll take care of Jackson when it's time."

How could he trust that? How could he just let Jinyoung go in there, rely on him completely and wait and see what happened? Why did Jinyoung not help Yongguk? Had he been lacking courage?

"I'll give you a sign when the time comes."

Jinyoung walked away in silence, heading for Wooyoung's home, and Wooyoung followed uncertainly, at least wanting to stay nearby in case he could still help.

The man pulled the door open with a flourish and there it was.

A hideous cracking and breaking as if from branches, the grinding as if from rough stones on top of each other accompanied by smacking noises. A pleasurable humming.

The chewing.

All color left Wooyoung's face and if there had not been Jinyoung's body right in front of him, he would probably have been disturbed forever by a cruel sight.

"Stay here."

The chewing stopped abruptly at his voice and something like a growl could be heard from the lobby, a dark and vicious sound. Wooyoung's hair stood on end and something soft hit the ground, quick steps seemed to disappear.

Jinyoung cast a careless glance over his shoulder and at the smaller Wooyoung.

"I cannot promise to save them all."

Again the dizziness overcame Wooyoung and he had to catch himself on the door frame to regain his balance. Jinyoung closed the door carefully.

This connection... That sound...

Wooyoung vomited loudly to the side, was weak on his legs and nothing around him helped. Everything was cold and foggy. He did not know what was going to happen or how Jinyoung planned to win alone. How were his boys? How could he be so reckless to leave them alone?

He was so ignorant, so useless.

He had to keep himself busy. Otherwise he would go crazy.

His legs stumbled, carrying him around the house, and strained he kept himself from prying curiously through the windows. The door to the barn was only locked from the outside with two bolts and Wooyoung had to try several times to open it, clumsily staggering into the dark room.

Jinyoung had been right.

Jackson laid peacefully asleep on the floor, still breathing as Wooyoung panickedly fell to his knees beside him.

"Jackson! You must wake up, please don't leave me here alone!" Even repeated poking and shaking did not bring the man back. Wooyoung was completely dependent on Jinyoung.

Weakly he worked his way back to the front, arriving there just at the moment when the door blew open once more.

It was inevitable. This time, Wooyoung caught a direct glimpse of the red-soaked body in the middle of the room, dark cloth in a constantly growing puddle.

Wooyoung could not hold back the tortured scream in his throat, could not see who it was at that distance and the very next moment Jinyoung was in his field of vision again.

Jinyoung had someone with him.

From one second to the next, Wooyoung's head was empty again, all pain dulled.

"Here, take him!"

The previously so calm man looked agitated, there was blood on his once white outfit and the black uniformed figure in his arms was stunned when pushed to bump into Wooyoung.

Jinyoung had disappeared again before anyone could say anything and hectically Wooyoung began to free his companion from his black mask and hat, staring into San's horror-widened eyes seconds later.

Wooyoung's own eyes burned.

"San. Oh, San!"

They found each other, held each other comfortingly in this dark hour of unknowingness and San did not make a sound, did not find the voice to calm them down, but he was here and he was warm.

"I found Jackson, it was Jackson from the beginning!"

San did not listen. He was still staring blankly at the house. At what was behind that door.

Wooyoung tried not to think about it, really tried. He could not possibly ask.

A cracking window made them both flinch and then two figures flew down from the second floor, a large body that was protecting a smaller one in its arms.

San had turned to stone, so it was only Wooyoung who ran there, worried, searching all of them for any injuries.

It was Mingi and Yeosang, both clearly jazzed, but in one piece.

"What's going on, what's happening? We've been waiting for you and suddenly...", Yeosang almost panicked and Wooyoung stroked his dark hair shakily, trying to comfort them both. 

"Jackson suddenly attacked us! He could see us, Wooyoung!" Mingi's eyes were wide, lips open as he breathed frantically, and Wooyoung writhed as he imagined the scene, imagining too clearly how Jackson suddenly jumped at the peaceful group. To kill them.

"He is not Jackson. He is Morfrey. Jinyoung is trying to fight him..."

No relief, but at least everyone seemed a bit more understanding.

"He just grabbed us and... yeeted us. I have no idea how he did it."

"We're outside.", Yeosang added whisperingly and raised his hands to stare at them in amazement.

Wooyoung only noticed it now.

They were outside. Free. No longer bound to the house.

Jinyoung had broken her bonds.

"We have to wake up the real Jackson! We have to... see how we can help if Jinyoung still needs us after this!"

"That guy... That non-Jackson. Jinyoung can actually hurt him. We slipped through him like smoke, but Jinyoung..."

They were part of him just like they were part of Wooyoung.

He felt so sick.

Wooyoung swallowed heavily around the disgusting taste of acid in his mouth and then nodded to follow them still a little shakily.

The time seemed to be delayed, everything happened too fast and at the same time too slow. The world seemed to center itself just around them. He lost himself.

"Come on, let's go check on Jackson. We need to focus."

Wooyoung wanted nothing more than to get down on his knees and pray to anyone. He wanted to scream and cry, get these three to safety and save the rest at the same time. He wanted it all to end without any more injuries so they could play twister together again in peace.

Yeosang and Mingi followed reluctantly, the former still absolutely uncomfortable with the nature around him and the wet grass under his feet.

Wooyoung went to San first, gently grasping his limp hand in his own.

"Please come with me. I don't want to leave you here alone."

No movement. Silence.

The door opened behind them again.

Collectively, the others looked up sharply.

It was Hongjoong with dirty clothes who staggered out, one hand unconscious at his head and the hat missing.

"Oh, God, am I glad to see you! It's absolute chaos in there!"

Wooyoung flinched forward to examine him as well and especially his head, and found a glimmer of hope again as one after another left the house unharmed.

They could make it, Jinyoung could make it!

Wooyoung had already taken the first step, then San's hand jerked forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him back and against his chest. He was breathing faster, his eyes wild.

Wooyoung's first reflex would have been to defend himself against a rough San, because it could only mean the worst. He knew he had to fight him then.

But instead of him, San continued to concentrate on the confused Hongjoong.

"This is not him."

"Huh?"

Wooyoung blinked confusedly, looking from Hongjoong back to San. His eyes were swimming with unshed tears and his bitter voice was filled with hatred as he spoke.

"Hongjoong is lying in there in a huge puddle of his own blood."

Wooyoung's heart froze in his chest as the icy cold understanding spread within him.

No, please not.

San stepped forward, one hand still steady on his arm, but he put himself in danger. Inside, Wooyoung screamed again.

Don't!

There was nothing left of their San when this one raised his murderous eyes to the small and narrow figure of Hongjoong. His voice resembled a rumble, deep and angry.

"How dare you, sick psychopath, wear his face!"

Wooyoung shivered badly behind San, watching closely as Hongjoong looked up at them with wide eyes, meeting Wooyoung's gaze.

For a second a vision flashed through his head. His own hands on Hongjoong's slim and soft neck. As he squeezed the life out of him piece by piece.

"Not him!"

Abruptly, Wooyoung turned his head away, blinking rapidly to the side. He was himself, alright. Everything still worked.

"What, no heroic suicide to save your imaginary friends? I'm disappointed."

Morfrey changed. His face morphed through a bunch of different features, there was Yongguk, a foreign blond with a nose piercing, Jackson, Seonghwa, even Jinyoung himself. And so many strangers, passing faces he had memorized.

In the end, he chose the face of a young man with black hair and feline eyes. It did not matter what he looked like.

"Let's settle this here. I'm late for dinner."

San left Wooyoung's side as he rushed forward, seething.


	23. Say my Name

The balance of power was absolutely unfair.

San was carelessly thrown away by Morfrey like some worthless doll, falling down a few meters further into the wet grass. Wooyoung was torn between launching his own unnecessary attack or helping the groaning man up, just looking in panic from Mingi and Yeosang back to the enemy. Still staring with dark eyes at Sans cowering figure, Morfrey let his gaze wander contentedly over the body of the other.

The way he looked at him, the irrepressible hunger in his eyes, made fiery anger bubble up in Wooyoung, his blood boiling with the will to protect.

San was his friend. His friend friend even. And no amount of fear could stop Wooyoung from standing by his side.

Wooyoung bit his lip until he tasted blood and clenched his hands into angry fists of fury.

If he punched hard enough he should be able to take him out in this human form, right? The adrenaline spurred him on, seducing him to attack, even though Wooyoung was still just Wooyoung. He had not suddenly grown horns, he had no undiscovered superpowers. Only his fists and his will.

Morfrey took a deep and pleasured breath, finding Wooyoung's gaze again and almost involuntarily he had to smile, bowing his head a little.

"Ah, the fear of losing a loved one. Delicious."

Wooyoung took a firm step forward towards him while San also slowly got back on his feet, shaking sticky leaves out of his hair. Morfrey looked like a snake ready to attack, eyeing them hungrily.

"Fear perhaps... but also the strength to protect."

Jinyoung's voice came out of nowhere and the very next moment something brutally crashed against the side of Morfrey's head, tearing deep wounds in his face. The object shattered under the pressure, cutting further into flawless skin.

Morfrey staggered, drove around to the other man who had appeared with Seonghwa at his side and the blond was unrecognizable.

First of all, he was no longer blond. Black hair complimented the uniform on his body, that they somehow all shared, and his bright eyes were absolutely wild, crazy in the chaos of blood on his face.

His left side was drenched in blood, blood dripping from his hands to the ground, but nothing stopped him from reaching the battered Morfrey with two long steps. With both hands he grabbed the other man's hair and Wooyoung saw the exact moment when an epiphany occurred. Morfrey's eyes widened as Seonghwa pulled his head towards him and down, stumbling overwhelmed in his grip.

Seonghwa could grasp him. Seonghwa could hurt him.

"This is for Hongjoong, you son of a bitch."

With that, Seonghwa's knee came up furiously and with a hideous crack, crashed into the other man's mutilated face, sending him backwards to the ground.

There was blood everywhere, Morfrey's face was barely visible and someone was screaming and it was probably Wooyoung himself, but it did not matter.

Because Morfrey frayed at the edges.

His shape seemed to lose its firmness, dissolving like smoke and it was San who finally stomped threateningly towards him to finish the job.

Morfrey's eyes were open for the last time, startetly finding Jinyoung's eyes and there was gentleness. It was the expression of peace, almost pride.

And Jinyoung smiled softly, forming a name with his lips that was not Morfrey.

Wooyoung was dumbfounded, not paying any attention to how San kicked through the transparent body, stirring up the last smoke.

They were both part of a whole. The fear and what stood in her way. A constant struggle. No one could win or lose. Like yin and yang.

_Of course._

And he was gone.

Wooyoung did not realize it until suddenly two arms grabbed him, pulled him warmly against another body and did not let go again. Completely overwhelmed, Wooyoung patted San's back helplessly, scrutinizing Seonghwa over his shoulder with wide eyes. The raven haired man just stared blankly at the spot where Morfrey had disappeared. But then suddenly his eyelids fluttered disquietingly.

"Seonghwa!"

Wooyoung's warning cry was answered by Yeosang, who rushed to their friend, clumsily catching his falling figure in his arms.

Mingi followed, stunned and unable to cope, and Wooyoung tried to help them but failed due to San's tight embrace.

"Sanie... You have to let me go, we have to help, come on. It's not over yet.", he spoke softly to the traumatized man, hugging him a little tighter to make him aware of the feeling.

"Jinyoung! Are they in danger because they are out here?"

Oh. Wooyoung had not thought of that yet. Good thing Mingi mentioned it.

Tense, they all looked at Jinyoung and he shook his head, stepping halfway into the house and pulling Yunho out. At Jinyoung's hand, the tall man passed the door without any problems and immediately rushed to Seonghwa's side with big eyes.

"Unfortunately I cannot bring Jongho to you. You must understand, but his head..."

Jinyoung turned resolutely, his gown billowing behind him as he stepped back into the house, bending over the last lonely figure on the floor.

Wooyoung turned his gaze away.

"We are alive, Oh God, we are alive, Seonghwa! You must hang on, please!"

"Oh my goodness, what's going on here?!"

Collectively, all heads snapped upward, away from the desperate Yunho and the pale Yeosang at Seonghwa's side.

It was Jackson. Jackson stood before them. He was unharmed, alive, breathing and Wooyoung would have embraced him stormily by now, but San.

He was so relieved to see the totally confused man.

"This doesn't look good, let me just quickly--" Jackson wildly patted over his thighs and hips, finally finding his cell phone and hastily dialed a number.

"Hi, yes, we have a very badly injured man here." He raised his head in alarm as Jinyoung stepped outside the house, turning green in the face as he glanced at whatever he was cautiously carrying in his arms.

"Two, two seriously wounded! No, the danger is..." Seeking help, he looked at Yunho.

"Is the danger averted? Or are there more people injured?"

Yunho blinked at him like an owl then he managed to shake his head stiffly, once to the left, then more slowly to the right. It looked like a question.

"Danger is averted! We can give first aid here, but it looks really bad. Yes, so we are..." Wooyoung faded his babbling out again, while Jackson eagerly told his address and continued to enter data for the paramedics.

"Sanie." He focused his attention on the stationary mountain in front of him.

"Sanie, we must help. Please help Seongwha, okay? We need you here."

San's face had been buried around his neck for some time now, so Wooyoung had not noticed much of his present condition yet, but nothing had prepared him for the broken sob that shook the whole body of the other in the next moment.

He sounded choked, too choked to speak and anxiously Wooyoung patted his back gently, exchanging a perplexed look with Mingi before the fear ran into the house to get the first-aid kit on Jackson's order.

"What's wrong with him? Can anyone tell me what's wrong?" Protectively, he held San closer to him, allowing the man to make himself as small as possible against his chest.

"Hongjoong has... Because fear for his beloved... The uniforms...", Yunho talked confusedly, was just busy to remove Seonghwa's body from his top to see the real damage.

"Hongjoong didn't want him to get to San for your sake. Hongjoong was attacked because he... because he made sure Morfrey didn't know which one of us was San through the uniforms. After Hongjoong, he suspected Seonghwa because Hongjoong was yelling at him to leave while he--while--" Yeosang's shook mumbling broke off as his emotions caught up with him and he had to press a bloody hand to his lips to suppress a tortured whimper. His big eyes closed in agony and tears openly moistened his cheeks.

Numb, Wooyoung stood leaning against San as violent sobs shook the narrow body in front of him.

Jackson put a hand on Yeosang's shoulder to helplessly comfort him and then began to speak gently to him, coordinating with Jinyoung to get the injured inside. He was the only one who was still sane without any connection to what had happened and at least Jinyoung came back to life when Jackson spoke to him about his gown.

"Right, I'm a doctor, I can do something."

Finally, a little emotion came to everyone. Jinyoung took what he had left to carry back inside and Yeosang carefully loaded Seonghwa into his arms and hurried inside too. Jackson and Yunho followed busily, leaving San and Wooyoung alone on the wet grass.

"San."

Wooyoung peeled the other man away with some effort, grasping his face and staring searchingly into his reddened eyes. No life was left in them, all dull. It hurt Wooyoung, he wanted to do something, wanted to exchange their hearts if it meant San would get better.

"Sanie. Listen to me if you're in there. I need you here. Please come back and help me."

In the distance sirens were heard.

"San."

The other man's eyes fell shut unintentionally and he slumped heavily against Wooyoung. The exhaustion had finally caught up with him.

Wooyoung gathered him up with a sigh and dragged him into the house to put him down on the couch. Then he went out again to greet the paramedics.

At least Seonghwa. Please, at least him.


	24. Epilogue

The dimples in Sans cheeks were deep enough to bury a treasure in. He was positively radiant, his white curls bouncing as he hurriedly pulled the door shut behind him. A loud bang echoed uncomfortably through the house and, smiling, Wooyoung crossed his arms in front of his chest. Seonghwa clearly spent too much of his time in this position, he rubbing off on them.

"Guess whooooo~", San began to sneak up on Wooyoung while sweetly singing, the object behind his back way too big to be covered by his figure just like that. Wooyoung still indulged him, forcing himself not to smile.

"Who what?"

San grinned even wider, his eyes gone, but now the sun was shining in the house, it was alright.

"Whoooo~"

San stopped in front of Wooyoung with a little hop and stood up straight as a candle, his chest proudly outstretched.

"Whooo~"

Wooyoung gave him a friendly slap on the torso, revelling in San's high laughter.

"Come on, you idiot!" Wooyoung could not stop himself from smiling lovingly.

"Who finished their driver's license! And thus took another step towards humanity!"

San vibrated with excitement and Wooyoung could not help but tease the adorable man a little bit more.

"I don't know, is it Mingi?"

San dropped his smile to emphatically roll his eyes, then he carefully put the helmet down on the chest of drawers at Wooyoung's side. One of his hands found the smaller man's hip, pulling him decisively closer to his body.

"Wrong, sweetie. It's me." With that, he suddenly grabbed the squeaking Wooyoung with his other hand too, lifting him off the floor.

Surprised, Wooyoung grabbed onto his shoulders in front of him and looked amusedly down into the happy face of the other man.

"What, you?" he laughed out loud and then switched to a squeaky screech as San played dirty by digging his fingers into his sides.

"Yes, me. And you must come with me on my first official tour!"

"Uh, no thanks, I think Yunho wanted to beat this one hardcore boss with me, and-"

San let him down a little, but only far enough so that he could silence Wooyoung with his lips. He was still kissing like on day their first day. As if it was just the two of them and that one moment.

Wooyoung sighed contentedly into the deep kiss, feeling San's hair glide back over his sharp cheekbones. They tickled and writhing, Wooyoung released himself from San's longing lips, blowing against those sweet curls.

"Well, are you coming?" San's eyes were shining as if it was Christmas, and Wooyoung could only nod with a beaten sigh, but was immediately set down under cheers. San used Wooyoung's dramatic doubts to kiss both of his cheeks and then grab his hand with a giggle.

"Okay!"

Wooyoung at least thought about taking the helmet with him and was promptly dragged out of the house by San. He had parked his new motorcycle towards the lake and it had already attracted the attention of the curious children. Mingi circled it in amazement while Jongho constantly shouted down professional questions to him by the window to which he had no answer.

San shooed the other man away to throw a leather-clad leg over the heavy machine himself, extending a helping hand in Wooyoung's direction.

"I don't want to find a scratch on him, San!"

The dimples reappeared as San childishly stuck his tongue out in Seonghwas direction. The black-haired man leaned against the balcony railing and watched them fondly from under dark eyebrows. Yeosang appeared next to Jongho.

"Why do you look like you're off on your honeymoon?"

Wooyoung could not help but notice Yeosang's devious grin as San immediately gasped in an overexaggerated manner, turning around as best he could to face Wooyoung who was just settling on his place behind him.

"Oh my God, this is an excellent idea! Woo, let's get married! With a huge cake and lots of flowers and all that!"

Wooyoung threw a scathing look in Yeosang's direction and the man just walked away smugly, leaving Jongho to wave a white handkerchief dramatically as his body clumsily wiped the invisible tears from his head.

"Let's just go."

No, Wooyoung was not blushing. It was just too warm out here.

San helped him with an unnecessarily cute pout at putting on his helmet, then closed his own before he brought the black machine to life with a dangerous rumble. Mingi made a frightened jump away from them and promptly stepped in the mud with one white sneaker. Typical.

At first, Wooyoung was simply afraid of tipping over along with the vehicle, but San made a turn that was experimental enough as if he had been doing it for centuries and Wooyoung's hands relaxed a little at his hips.

They were dashing away.

It was freedom. The wind that whipped around them, the open nature. Wooyoung had never dreamt of being out here with San, but now he was. Jinyoung had made it possible for them.

Jinyoung had made them all human except for Jongho (the poor guy would have died without a head!) Every bit of fear had been separated from the persons themselves.

The San under his fingers was real and part of his world and not a day would pass that Wooyoung was not infinitely grateful for it.

"Oh, look who we have here!"

They had now driven down the narrow road almost all the way to the main road and just before the junction, a lonely wanderer came towards them. He had a camera hanging around his neck and took pictures fascinatedly of small flowers.

San slowed down until he came to a stop next to the man and they both took off their helmets and smiled brightly at the other.

"Hey, Dad!"

"Hi, Sa- Wait. We talked about this."

Brown hair slid back over his shoulder as Hongjoong turned disapprovingly toward them, briefly musing on their situation. No comment.

"Try not to die, you two, alright? Seonghwa would be angry with me for letting you do this." He nodded anxiously towards the bike and San just giggled.

"Okay!"

Wooyoung imitated him just as loud and high and this time it was Hongjoong who walked away shaking his head. San's gaze followed him somewhat lost, always full of guilt and Wooyoung had to pinch his side gently to wake him up.

"Hey. He's fine. How long are you going to let this gnaw on you?"

"If it wasn't him, but Yeosang or another small fear... If not so many people in the world were so afraid of the dark... If that would not have made him invincible like that, then..."

"He's okay, Sanie. Come on, smile. We were going to ride off into the sunset."

With that, San smiled mischievously again, glancing playfully over his shoulder at Wooyoung.

"Oh? Don't you mean like drive?"

"It'll sound less like cowboys then."

San stretched a little, placing a soft kiss on Wooyoung's cheek before turning around and focusing in the bike again.

"Don't worry, everything else can be arranged too."

Wooyoung smacked him.

San's high laughter echoed freely through the forest.

-

"By the way, when are we getting married?"

"Hey, give me a couple more years, okay?! I'm barely in my twenties!"

"We have to plan! Just a little heads-up, I want at least three kids. Two cute girls and a boy. I think the little one will be a mommy's boy... What are we gonna call her?"

"San!"

"What, you want two boys instead? Ahh, but they're so demanding..."

"How about we start with a dog?"

"A Shiber?"

"Yeah, a Shiber if you'd like."

"Okay, but what do you think about Jaebeiom for the kid?"

"No."

"And..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There, thanks for everybody who read until here! I hope you did enjoy this story! Thanks for any kudos and comments too~  
> By the way, there's more where this came from so just tell me, if you want to hear of Space Captain Hongjoong next!


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